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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
4.14.444.14.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.14.45

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
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

तं तु तेऽवनतं दीनं किं करोमीति वादिनम् ।

निषीदेत्यब्रुवंस्तात स निषादस्ततोऽभवत् ॥ ४५ ॥

taṁ tu te ’vanataṁ dīnaṁ

kiṁ karomīti vādinam

niṣīdety abruvaṁs tāta

sa niṣādas tato ’bhavat

Translation

He was very submissive and meek, and immediately after his birth he bowed down and inquired, “Sirs, what shall I do?” The great sages replied, “Please sit down [niṣīda].” Thus Niṣāda, the father of the Naiṣāda race, was born.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Meekly Asking for Direction

  1. 1

    Immediately after his birth, he bowed down before the sages with a submissive and meek attitude. He asked, “Sirs, what shall I do?”

  2. 2

    The sages replied, “Please sit down,” or niṣīda. Thus he became known as Niṣāda, the father of the Naiṣāda race.

  3. 3

    The purport explains the śāstric representation of social divisions through the body: the head represents brāhmaṇas, the arms kṣatriyas, the abdomen vaiśyas, and the legs, beginning with the thighs, śūdras.

Key points from the purport
  • The śūdras are sometimes called black, or kṛṣṇa.
  • The brāhmaṇas are called śukla, or white, and the kṣatriyas and the vaiśyas are a mixture of black and white.
  • It may be concluded that white or a golden hue is the color of the higher caste, and black is the complexion of the śūdras.

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. tamunto him
  2. tuthen
  3. tethe sages
  4. avanatambowed down
  5. dīnammeek
  6. kimwhat
  7. karomishall I do
  8. itithus
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “father”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.14

    In this verse: “inquired”

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

Am I willing to ask for guidance with a meek and respectful attitude?

Practice

When receiving guidance today, listen respectfully and ask one clear question about what to do.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMeekly Asking for DirectionThis 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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