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
4.11.64.11.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.11.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
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

मनुरुवाच

अलं वत्सातिरोषेण तमोद्वारेण पाप्मना ।

येन पुण्यजनानेतानवधीस्त्वमनागस: ॥ ७ ॥

manur uvāca

alaṁ vatsātiroṣeṇa

tamo-dvāreṇa pāpmanā

yena puṇya-janān etān

avadhīs tvam anāgasaḥ

Translation

Lord Manu said: My dear son, please stop. It is not good to become unnecessarily angry — it is the path to hellish life. Now you are going beyond the limit by killing Yakṣas who are actually not offenders.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Stop Anger Before It Harms the Innocent

  1. 1

    Atiroṣeṇa means unnecessary anger. When Dhruva Mahārāja exceeded the limits of necessary anger, Manu came to protect him from further sinful action.

  2. 2

    A kṣatriya may use force to maintain law and order, but not without reason. Killing an innocent person opens the path to hellish life.

  3. 3

    Only the Yakṣa who killed Uttama was punishable, not all the citizens. The purport condemns attacks on innocent citizens and the unnecessary slaughter of innocent animals.

Key points from the purport
  • When Dhruva Mahārāja went beyond the limits of necessary anger, his grandfather, Svāyambhuva Manu, immediately came to protect him from further sinful action.
  • Violence is certainly a path leading to a hellish condition of life, but it is also required for maintenance of the law and order of the state.
  • Here Lord Manu prohibited Dhruva Mahārāja from killing the Yakṣas because only one of them was punishable for killing his brother, Uttama; not all of the Yakṣa citizens were punishable.

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. manuḥ uvācaManu said
  2. alamenough
  3. vatsamy dear boy
  4. atiroṣeṇawith excessive anger
  5. tamaḥ-dvāreṇathe path of ignorance
  6. pāpmanāsinful
  7. yenaby which
  8. puṇya-janānthe Yakṣas
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “offenders”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “citizens”

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 I recognize when my anger has gone beyond a justified response?

Practice

Before acting on anger today, ask whether your response would harm someone who is not responsible.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStop Anger Before It Harms the InnocentThis 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 4.11.7? 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