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

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 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 2 · Chapter 4: The Process of Creation
2.4.202.4.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.4.21

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 2.4.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यदङ्‍घ्र्‌यध्यानसमाधिधौतया

धियानुपश्यन्ति हि तत्त्वमात्मन: ।

वदन्ति चैतत् कवयो यथारुचं

स मे मुकुन्दो भगवान् प्रसीदताम् ॥ २१ ॥

yad-aṅghry-abhidhyāna-samādhi-dhautayā

dhiyānupaśyanti hi tattvam ātmanaḥ

vadanti caitat kavayo yathā-rucaṁ

sa me mukundo bhagavān prasīdatām

Translation

It is the Personality of Godhead Śrī Kṛṣṇa who gives liberation. By thinking of His lotus feet at every second, following in the footsteps of authorities, the devotee in trance can see the Absolute Truth. The learned mental speculators, however, think of Him according to their whims. May the Lord be pleased with me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Know Kṛṣṇa Through Remembrance and Service

  1. 1

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, gives liberation. Remembering His lotus feet cleanses the pure devotee’s mind and intelligence of the desire for material enjoyment and establishes the devotee in real trance.

  2. 2

    The devotee follows previous ācāryas and sees the Lord through the guidance of a bona fide spiritual master, not through mental speculation. The living entity remains eternally the Lord’s servant, even after liberation.

  3. 3

    The Lord reveals Himself when He is pleased by a devotee’s sincere service attitude. He gives the devotee proper intelligence to understand Him and His energies.

Key points from the purport
  • The pure devotee, by the grace of the Lord, absolutely loses all attraction for material enjoyment, and to keep free from contamination he always thinks of the lotus feet of the Lord.
  • And because they cannot enter into the network stem of the lotus feet of the Lord, all mental speculators differ in conclusions, and at the end they make a useless compromise by saying “as many conclusions, as many ways,” according to one’s own inclination (yathā-rucam).
  • The pure devotee never tries to see the Lord by mental speculation, but by following in the footsteps of the ācāryas (mahājano yena gataḥ sa panthāḥ).

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 2.4.21 quotesBG 10.10

This humbleness of the pure devotee, who is one-hundred-percent engaged in His service, puts the devotee of the Lord in a trance by which to realize everything, because to the sincere devotee of the Lord, the Lord reveals Himself, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (10.10).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Uncertainty → Awe. The scale of reality widens dramatically.

Chapters 4–7 of Canto 2: The creation, cosmic Person and incarnations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: The Process of Creation

Parīkṣit fixes his mind on Kṛṣṇa and asks about creation; Śukadeva offers prayers before answering.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yat-aṅghriwhose lotus feet
  2. abhidhyānathinking of, at every second
  3. samādhitrance
  4. dhautayābeing washed off
  5. dhiyāby such clean intelligence
  6. anupaśyantidoes see by following authorities
  7. hicertainly
  8. tattvamthe Absolute Truth
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.4

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotee’s”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 2.4

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “understand”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.4

    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

Am I approaching Kṛṣṇa with a willingness to serve and follow guidance, or mainly with my own conclusions?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to remember Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet and humbly pray to serve Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.4's connections

Live this todayKnow Kṛṣṇa Through Remembrance and ServiceThis 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 2.4.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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