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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

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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 4: The Appearance of Śrī Nārada
1.4.231.4.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.4.24

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.4.14inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

त एव वेदा दुर्मेधैर्धार्यन्ते पुरुषैर्यथा ।

एवं चकार भगवान् व्यास: कृपणवत्सल: ॥ २४ ॥

ta eva vedā durmedhair

dhāryante puruṣair yathā

evaṁ cakāra bhagavān

vyāsaḥ kṛpaṇa-vatsalaḥ

Translation

Thus the great sage Vyāsadeva, who is very kind to the ignorant masses, edited the Vedas so they might be assimilated by less intellectual men.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vedic Knowledge Leads to Śrī Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The Veda is one, but its subject matter is not easily understood. Śrīla Vyāsadeva kindly divided it so that people with less understanding could practically follow it.

  2. 2

    Understanding the Vedas requires exceptional qualities of goodness, not merely birth in a brāhmaṇa family. Passion and ignorance obstruct that understanding.

  3. 3

    The ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The divisions of the Vedas help people approach this goal despite their limitations.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore the subject matter is understood by persons with exceptional qualities of goodness.
  • Persons who are in the modes of passion and ignorance are unable to understand the subject matter of the Vedas.
  • In the present age the mode of goodness is almost nil, and so for the general mass of people, the kindhearted, powerful sage Śrīla Vyāsadeva divided the Vedas in various ways so that they may be practically followed by less intelligent persons in the modes of passion and ignorance.

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

Dissatisfaction → Inspired clarity. Even great accomplishment leaves Vyāsa without contentment until devotion is centered.

Chapters 4–6 of Canto 1: Vyāsa is dissatisfied; Nārada directs him to the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: The Appearance of Śrī Nārada

The sages inquire about Parīkṣit, while Sūta describes Vyāsadeva’s division of the Vedas and dissatisfaction.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tethat
  2. evacertainly
  3. vedāḥthe book of knowledge
  4. durmedhaiḥby the less intellectual
  5. dhāryantecan assimilate
  6. puruṣaiḥby the man
  7. yathāas much as
  8. evamthus
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.4

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 1.4

    In this verse: “kindly”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I studying with the aim of understanding Śrī Kṛṣṇa, rather than merely collecting information?

Practice

Write this reminder beside your study material: “The ultimate goal of Vedic knowledge is Śrī Kṛṣṇa.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVedic Knowledge Leads to Śrī KṛṣṇaThis 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 1.4.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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