FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.6.9

एकदा निर्गतां गेहाद्दुहन्तीं निशि गां पथि । सर्पोऽदशत्पदा स्पृष्ट: कृपणां कालचोदित: ॥ ९ ॥
ekadā nirgatāṁ gehād
[ekadaa nirgataam gehaad]
duhantīṁ niśi gāṁ pathi
[duhanteem nishi gaam pathi]
sarpo ’daśat padā spṛṣṭaḥ
[sarpo ’dashat padaa sprishtah]
kṛpaṇāṁ kāla-coditaḥ
[kripanaam kaala-choditah]
Word-for-word
ekadā — once upon a time nirgatām — having gone away gehāt — from home duhantīm — for milking niśi — at night gām — the cow pathi — on the path sarpaḥ — snake adaśat — bitten padā — on the leg spṛṣṭaḥ — thus struck kṛpaṇām — the poor woman kāla-coditaḥ — influenced by supreme time.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
ekadā nirgatāṁ gehād
ekadā
once upon a time
nirgatām
having gone away
gehāt
from home
duhantīṁ niśi gāṁ pathi
duhantīm
for milking
niśi
at night
gām
the cow
pathi
on the path
sarpo ’daśat padā spṛṣṭaḥ
sarpaḥ
snake
adaśat
bitten
kṛpaṇāṁ kāla-coditaḥ
padā
on the leg
spṛṣṭaḥ
thus struck
kṛpaṇām
the poor woman
kāla-coditaḥ
influenced by supreme time.
Once upon a time, my poor mother, when going out one night to milk a cow, was bitten on the leg by a serpent, influenced by supreme time.
Purport

That is the way of dragging a sincere soul nearer to God. The poor boy was being looked after only by his affectionate mother, and yet the mother was taken from the world by the supreme will in order to put him completely at the mercy of the Lord.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
One time, a snake, impelled by time, touched by her foot, bit my poor mother who had gone from the house to milk the cow at night and was walking along the path.
Commentary

Duhantīm means “to milk.”

Personal Guidance
Nārada's mother died from a snakebite — an event devastating on the surface but driven by supreme time. The deepest losses can be the very means by which we are turned toward the Lord.
Reflection Questions
  • What loss, in hindsight, redirected my life in a way I now value?
  • Am I still grieving a loss without asking what it was opening?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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