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

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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
4.14.344.14.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.14.35

Nirodha· Winding up
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

ऋषिभि: स्वाश्रमपदं गते पुत्रकलेवरम् ।

सुनीथा पालयामास विद्यायोगेन शोचती ॥ ३५ ॥

ṛṣibhiḥ svāśrama-padaṁ

gate putra-kalevaram

sunīthā pālayām āsa

vidyā-yogena śocatī

Translation

After all the sages returned to their respective hermitages, the mother of King Vena, Sunīthā, became very much aggrieved because of her son’s death. She decided to preserve the dead body of her son by the application of certain ingredients and by chanting mantras [mantra-yogena].

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sunīthā Grieved and Preserved Her Son’s Body

  1. 1

    After King Vena’s death, the sages returned to their respective hermitages.

  2. 2

    His mother, Sunīthā, was deeply aggrieved by the death of her son.

  3. 3

    She preserved his dead body by applying certain ingredients and chanting mantras.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ṛṣibhiḥby the sages
  2. sva-āśrama-padamto their own respective hermitages
  3. gatehaving returned
  4. putraof her son
  5. kalevaramthe body
  6. sunīthāSunīthā, the mother of King Vena
  7. pālayām āsapreserved
  8. vidyā-yogenaby mantra and ingredients
  9. śocatīwhile lamenting
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “death”

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

What do I notice about Sunīthā’s grief in this account?

Practice

Reread the translation slowly, giving attention to the mother’s sorrow.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySunīthā Grieved and Preserved Her Son’s BodyThis 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.

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