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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
1.4.61.4.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.4.7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 1.4.2inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कथं वा पाण्डवेयस्य राजर्षेर्मुनिना सह ।

संवाद: समभूत्तात यत्रैषा सात्वती श्रुति: ॥ ७ ॥

kathaṁ vā pāṇḍaveyasya

rājarṣer muninā saha

saṁvādaḥ samabhūt tāta

yatraiṣā sātvatī śrutiḥ

Translation

How did it so happen that King Parīkṣit met this great sage, making it possible for this great transcendental essence of the Vedas [Bhāgavatam] to be sung to him?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bhāgavatam Is the Essence of the Vedas

  1. 1

    Śaunaka asks how King Parīkṣit met the great sage and came to hear the Bhāgavatam.

  2. 2

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the transcendental essence of the Vedas. It is not an imaginary story.

  3. 3

    It is also called Śuka-saṁhitā, the Vedic hymn spoken by Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the great liberated sage.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is stated here as the essence of the Vedas.
  • It is not an imaginary story as it is sometimes considered by unauthorized men.
  • It is also called Śuka-saṁhitā, or the Vedic hymn spoken by Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the great liberated sage.

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. kathamhow is it
  2. vāalso
  3. pāṇḍaveyasyaof the descendant of Pāṇḍu (Parīkṣit)
  4. rājarṣeḥof the king who was a sage
  5. munināwith the muni
  6. sahawith
  7. saṁvādaḥdiscussion
  8. samabhūttook place
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.4

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would receiving the Bhāgavatam as the essence of the Vedas change my attention while reading?

Practice

Read this translation aloud once, then write a sentence describing how it identifies the Bhāgavatam.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBhāgavatam Is the Essence of the VedasThis 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 1.4.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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