1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

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 4 · Chapter 11: Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting
4.11.144.11.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.11.15

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Manusince 4.11.7inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

भूतै: पञ्चभिरारब्धैर्योषित्पुरुष एव हि ।

तयोर्व्यवायात्सम्भूतिर्योषित्पुरुषयोरिह ॥ १५ ॥

bhūtaiḥ pañcabhir ārabdhair

yoṣit puruṣa eva hi

tayor vyavāyāt sambhūtir

yoṣit-puruṣayor iha

Translation

The creation of the material world begins with the five elements, and thus everything, including the body of a man or a woman, is created of these elements. By the sexual life of man and woman, the number of men and women in this material world is further increased.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Body Ends, but the Soul Remains

  1. 1

    Bodies are formed from earth, water, fire, air and ether. Through sexual union, further bodies are produced.

  2. 2

    Creation, maintenance and annihilation occur through material nature under Kṛṣṇa’s superintendence. Manu explained that Dhruva’s brother’s bodily death was an act of material nature, not actually the Yakṣas’ fault.

  3. 3

    Our relationship with the body is material, while the real self is spirit soul. The soul is never annihilated or killed, so one should not be overwhelmed by material nature’s changes.

Key points from the purport
  • When Svāyambhuva Manu saw that Dhruva Mahārāja understood the philosophy of Vaiṣṇavism and yet was still dissatisfied because of his brother’s death, he gave him an explanation of how this material body is created by the five elements of material nature.
  • In the Bhagavad-gītā it is also confirmed, prakṛteḥ kriyamāṇāni: everything is created, maintained and annihilated by the material modes of nature.
  • Svāyambhuva Manu wanted to impress on Dhruva Mahārāja that the death of the material body of his brother was not actually the Yakṣas’ fault; it was an act of the material nature.

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

Rejection → Transformed aspiration. A child's wounded pride is purified by divine encounter.

Chapters 8–12 of Canto 4: Dhruva seeks and encounters the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting

Svāyambhuva Manu urges Dhruva to stop killing innocent Yakṣas and turn his attention to the Supreme Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhūtaiḥby the material elements
  2. pañcabhiḥfive
  3. ārabdhaiḥdeveloped
  4. yoṣitwoman
  5. puruṣaḥman
  6. evajust so
  7. hicertainly
  8. tayoḥof them
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “death”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “spirit soul”

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

How can remembering the soul’s enduring existence steady me amid bodily changes?

Practice

Spend one minute reflecting: “The body changes, but the real self, the spirit soul, is never killed.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Body Ends, but the Soul RemainsThis 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 4.11.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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