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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.
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Canto 9 · Chapter 6: The Downfall of Saubhari Muni
9.6.309.6.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.6.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.6.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कं धास्यति कुमारोऽयं स्तन्ये रोरूयते भृशम् ।

मां धाता वत्स मा रोदीरितीन्द्रो देशिनीमदात् ॥ ३१ ॥

kaṁ dhāsyati kumāro ’yaṁ

stanye rorūyate bhṛśam

māṁ dhātā vatsa mā rodīr

itīndro deśinīm adāt

Translation

The baby cried so much for breast milk that all the brāhmaṇas were very unhappy. “Who will take care of this baby?” they said. Then Indra, who was worshiped in that yajña, came and solaced the baby. “Do not cry,” Indra said. Then Indra put his index finger in the baby’s mouth and said, “You may drink me.”

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.

Indra Comforts the Crying Baby

  1. 1

    The baby cried intensely for breast milk, making the brāhmaṇas very unhappy.

  2. 2

    The brāhmaṇas asked who would care for the child. Indra, who had been worshiped in the yajña, came and comforted him.

  3. 3

    Indra told the baby not to cry. He placed his index finger in the baby’s mouth and said, “You may drink me.”

How it feels

Attachment and struggle → Renunciation and responsibility. Multiple royal lives reveal the cost of choices.

Chapters 6–9 of Canto 9: Saubhari, Sagara and Bhagīratha's lineage. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 6: The Downfall of Saubhari Muni

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The son, who was very beautiful, was crying to drink breast milk, and Indra gave the child his index finger to suck. Thus the son became known as Māndhātā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kamby whom
  2. dhāsyatiwill he be cared for by being supplied breast milk
  3. kumāraḥchild
  4. ayamthis
  5. stanyefor drinking breast milk
  6. rorūyateis crying
  7. bhṛśamso much
  8. mām dhātājust drink me
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 9.6

    In this verse: “baby”, “child”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 9.6

    In this verse: “worshiped”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 9.6

    In this verse: “cried”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What can you learn from the concern shown for the crying baby?

Practice

Offer one gentle word or a small act of care to someone who is distressed today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayIndra Comforts the Crying BabyThis 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.

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