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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

2.4.2 2.4.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 2.4.3-4

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 2.4.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पप्रच्छ चेममेवार्थं यन्मां पृच्छथ सत्तमा: ।

कृष्णानुभावश्रवणे श्रद्दधानो महामना: ॥ ३ ॥

संस्थां विज्ञाय संन्यस्य कर्म त्रैवर्गिकं च यत् ।

वासुदेवे भगवति आत्मभावं द‍ृढं गत: ॥ ४ ॥

papraccha cemam evārthaṁ

yan māṁ pṛcchatha sattamāḥ

kṛṣṇānubhāva-śravaṇe

śraddadhāno mahā-manāḥ

saṁsthāṁ vijñāya sannyasya

karma trai-vargikaṁ ca yat

vāsudeve bhagavati

ātma-bhāvaṁ dṛḍhaṁ gataḥ

Translation

O great sages, the great soul Mahārāja Parīkṣit, constantly rapt in thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa, knowing well of his imminent death, renounced all sorts of fruitive activities, namely acts of religion, economic development and sense gratification, and thus fixed himself firmly in his natural love for Kṛṣṇa and asked all these questions, exactly as you are asking me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Make Loving Service Your Prime Duty

1
Religion, economic development and sense gratification attract those seeking material prosperity. Knowing that death was near, Mahārāja Parīkṣit renounced these fruitive aims and firmly fixed himself in love for Kṛṣṇa.
2
Through association with Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the King understood that Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is everything. He depended wholly upon Him rather than upon activities performed for material results.
3
The path of perfection is to accept transcendental loving service to the Lord as the prime duty, free from fruitive reaction. The prayers in the purport express devotion that remains firm whether the Lord gives comfort or difficulty.

Key points from the purport

And out of hundreds of thousands of such liberated persons, even one person is rarely found who can firmly fix his mind unto the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as declared by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19).
Lord Caitanya, who is Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself, taught us in His Śikṣāṣṭaka (8):
So Mahārāja Parīkṣit was perfectly right when he firmly accepted the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, renouncing all karma-kāṇḍīya conceptions of life.

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· 3

The purport of SB 2.4.3-4 quotesBG 7.19

And out of hundreds of thousands of such liberated persons, even one person is rarely found who can firmly fix his mind unto the lotus feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, as declared by the Lord Himself in the Bhagavad-gītā (7.19).

The purport of SB 2.4.3-4 quotesSB 7.6.26

On the other hand, surrendering unto the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu is a factual gain in life, and I consider it the ultimate truth.”

The purport of SB 2.4.3-4 quotesBG 2.41

The whole matter is concluded in the Bhagavad-gītā (2.41) as vyavasāyātmikā buddhiḥ, or the absolute path of perfection.

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

papracchaasked
caalso
imamthis
evaexactly like
arthampurpose
yatthat
māmunto me
pṛcchathayou are asking

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
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “renounced”, “free from”
Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct
Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 2.4
In this verse: “religion”, “duty”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking material rewards from devotion, or learning to serve Kṛṣṇa without conditions?

Practice

Spend one minute praying to serve Kṛṣṇa without asking for any material reward.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

2 lectures given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 7.6.26

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

Live this todayMake Loving Service Your Prime DutyThis 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 2.4.3-4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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