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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 9 · Chapter 5: Durvāsā Muni’s Life Spared
9.5.159.5.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.5.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Durvāsā Munisince 9.5.14inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यन्नामश्रुतिमात्रेण पुमान् भवति निर्मल: ।

तस्य तीर्थपद: किं वा दासानामवशिष्यते ॥ १६ ॥

yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa

pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ

tasya tīrtha-padaḥ kiṁ vā

dāsānām avaśiṣyate

Translation

What is impossible for the servants of the Lord? By the very hearing of His holy name one is purified.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing the Lord’s Name Purifies

  1. 1

    Simply hearing the Lord’s holy name purifies a person.

  2. 2

    The verse draws attention to this purifying power of His name.

  3. 3

    It asks what is impossible for the servants of such a Lord, praising the greatness of serving Him.

Connected verses· 2

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.16.44

As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.5.16), yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ: simply by hearing the holy name of the Lord, one is immediately purified.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 8.72

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.5.16) and is an admission by the great sage Durvāsā Muni.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Peril and anger → Faith and mercy. The contrast between pride and steadiness becomes clear.

Chapters 4–5 of Canto 9: Ambarīṣa's devotion and Durvāsā's anger. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Durvāsā Muni’s Life Spared

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Sudarśana cakra, which is the origin of creation and is most dear to the Lord, has thousands of spokes. This Sudarśana cakra is the killer of the prowess of all other weapons, the killer of darkness, and the manifester of the prowess of devotional service; it is the means of establishing religious principles, and it is the killer of all irreligious activities.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yat-nāmathe holy name of the Lord
  2. śruti-mātreṇasimply by hearing
  3. pumāna person
  4. bhavatibecomes
  5. nirmalaḥpurified
  6. tasyaof Him
  7. tīrtha-padaḥthe Lord, at whose feet are the holy places
  8. kim vāwhat
  9. dāsānāmby the servants
  10. avaśiṣyateremains to be done
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 9.5

    In this verse: “hearing”, “holy name”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 9.5

    In this verse: “purified”, “purifies”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How attentively do I listen when I hear the Lord’s holy name?

Practice

Spend one minute attentively hearing the Lord’s holy name.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing the Lord’s Name PurifiesThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 9.5.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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