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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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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
1.4.311.4.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.4.32

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

तस्यैवं खिलमात्मानं मन्यमानस्य खिद्यत: ।

कृष्णस्य नारदोऽभ्यागादाश्रमं प्रागुदाहृतम् ॥ ३२ ॥

tasyaivaṁ khilam ātmānaṁ

manyamānasya khidyataḥ

kṛṣṇasya nārado ’bhyāgād

āśramaṁ prāg udāhṛtam

Translation

As mentioned before, Nārada reached the cottage of Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa on the banks of the Sarasvatī just as Vyāsadeva was regretting his defects.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Service Gives Life Its Fullness

  1. 1

    Nārada reached the cottage of Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa while Vyāsadeva was regretting his defects. His inner emptiness was not caused by a lack of knowledge.

  2. 2

    Bhāgavata-dharma is pure devotional service of the Lord, beyond the reach of monism. Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is full of narrations of the transcendental activities of the Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa directly inspired Vyāsadeva to recognize that the Lord’s transcendental activities had not been properly explained in his works. Without loving service of the Lord, everything is void; in that service, no separate pursuit of fruitive work or philosophical speculation is needed.

Key points from the purport
  • The vacuum felt by Vyāsadeva was not due to his lack of knowledge.
  • Although Vyāsadeva was an empowered divinity, he still felt dissatisfaction because in none of his works were the transcendental activities of the Lord properly explained.
  • The inspiration was infused by Śrī Kṛṣṇa directly in the heart of Vyāsadeva, and thus he felt the vacuum as explained above.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyahis
  2. evamthus
  3. khilaminferior
  4. ātmānamsoul
  5. manyamānasyathinking within the mind
  6. khidyataḥregretting
  7. kṛṣṇasyaof Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa
  8. nāradaḥ abhyāgātNārada came there
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”, “philosophical”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.4

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 1.4

    In this verse: “narrations”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking fullness through knowledge alone, or through loving service of the Lord?

Practice

Read a short narration of the Lord’s activities in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam today as an act of loving service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service Gives Life Its FullnessThis 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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