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

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Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 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 4 · Chapter 14: The Story of King Vena
4.14.324.14.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.14.33

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The saintly sagessince 4.14.32inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

को वैनं परिचक्षीत वेनमेकमृतेऽशुभम् ।

प्राप्त ईद‍ृशमैश्वर्यं यदनुग्रहभाजन: ॥ ३३ ॥

ko vainaṁ paricakṣīta

venam ekam ṛte ’śubham

prāpta īdṛśam aiśvaryaṁ

yad-anugraha-bhājanaḥ

Translation

But for King Vena, who is simply inauspicious, who would blaspheme the Supreme Personality of Godhead, by whose mercy one is awarded all kinds of fortune and opulence?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Lord’s Mercy

  1. 1

    All kinds of fortune and opulence are awarded by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    The sages condemned King Vena for blaspheming the very Lord whose mercy he had received.

  3. 3

    The purport warns that individuals and societies invite ruination when they become godless and fail to appreciate the Lord’s mercy.

Key points from the purport
  • When human society individually or collectively becomes godless and blasphemes the authority of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it is certainly destined for ruination.
  • Such a civilization invites all kinds of bad fortune due to not appreciating the mercy of the Lord.

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

Anger and disorder → Duty and devotion. Kingship shifts from domination to stewardship and renunciation.

Chapters 13–23 of Canto 4: Vena and Pṛthu: power, the Earth and stewardship. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: The Story of King Vena

Vena rejects the sages’ advice; after his death, they seek to preserve King Aṅga’s family.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.14
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kaḥwho
  2. vāindeed
  3. enamthe Lord
  4. paricakṣītawould blaspheme
  5. venamKing Vena
  6. ekamalone
  7. ṛtebut for
  8. aśubhaminauspicious
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “mercy”

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

Which good fortune in my life have I overlooked as the Lord’s mercy?

Practice

Name one blessing today and offer the Lord a sincere word of thanks.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognize the Lord’s MercyThis 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 4.14.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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