1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 1 · Chapter 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
1.14.31.14.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.14.4

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.14.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

जिह्मप्रायं व्यवहृतं शाठ्यमिश्रं च सौहृदम् ।

पितृमातृसुहृद्भ्रातृदम्पतीनां च कल्कनम् ॥ ४ ॥

jihma-prāyaṁ vyavahṛtaṁ

śāṭhya-miśraṁ ca sauhṛdam

pitṛ-mātṛ-suhṛd-bhrātṛ-

dam-patīnāṁ ca kalkanam

Translation

All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating, even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers, and between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain and quarrel.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Counters Cheating and Quarrel

  1. 1

    Conditioned living beings have four imperfections: errors, insanity, inability and cheating. The tendency to cheat is especially prominent.

  2. 2

    Cheating grows from the unnatural desire to lord over the material world. In the pure state, the living being knows that remaining eternally subservient to the Supreme Being is beneficial.

  3. 3

    Dissatisfaction and cheating disturb even the closest family relationships. Devotional service to the Lord is the process that can lessen these conflicts and check hypocrisy.

Key points from the purport
  • A living being in his pure state is not conditioned by the laws because in his pure state he is conscious that a living being is eternally subservient to the Supreme Being, and thus it is always good for him to remain subservient, instead of falsely trying to lord it over the property of the Supreme Lord.
  • In the conditioned state the living being is not satisfied even if he actually becomes the lord of all that he surveys, which he never becomes, and therefore he becomes the victim of all kinds of cheating, even with his nearest and most intimate relations.
  • In such an unsatisfactory state of affairs, there is no harmony, even between father and sons or between husband and wife.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Bereavement → Renunciation. The worldly support system recedes and attachment is exposed.

Chapters 13–15 of Canto 1: Dhṛtarāṣṭra departs; Kṛṣṇa disappears; Pāṇḍavas retire. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: The Disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Yudhiṣṭhira observes disturbing omens and questions Arjuna about Kṛṣṇa and their relatives.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jihma-prāyamcheating
  2. vyavahṛtamin all ordinary transactions
  3. śāṭhyaduplicity
  4. miśramadulterated in
  5. caand
  6. sauhṛdamregarding friendly well-wishers
  7. pitṛfather
  8. mātṛregarding the mother
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “mothers”, “fathers”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.14

    In this verse: “material”

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

How does my wish to control others affect harmony in my closest relationships?

Practice

Do one small service for someone close to you today, consciously seeking to serve the Lord rather than control the person.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Counters Cheating and QuarrelThis 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 1.14.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories