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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 15: King Pṛthu’s Appearance and Coronation
4.15.14.15.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.15.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.15.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तद् दृष्ट्वा मिथुनं जातमृषयो ब्रह्मवादिन: ।

ऊचु: परमसन्तुष्टा विदित्वा भगवत्कलाम् ॥ २ ॥

tad dṛṣṭvā mithunaṁ jātam

ṛṣayo brahma-vādinaḥ

ūcuḥ parama-santuṣṭā

viditvā bhagavat-kalām

Translation

The great sages were highly learned in Vedic knowledge. When they saw the male and female born of the arms of Vena’s body, they were very pleased, for they could understand that the couple was an expansion of a plenary portion of Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vedic Knowledge Recognizes the Lord’s Empowerment

  1. 1

    The sages were highly learned in Vedic knowledge, and the method they adopted was perfect. King Vena’s sinful reactions were removed through the birth of Bāhuka.

  2. 2

    After Vena’s body was purified, the male and female appeared. The sages were very pleased to recognize their connection with Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The purport distinguishes this expansion from viṣṇu-tattva. It was a specifically empowered expansion of Lord Viṣṇu, known as āveśa.

Key points from the purport
  • The method adopted by the great sages and scholars, who were learned in Vedic knowledge, was perfect.
  • After King Vena’s body was thus purified, a male and female came out of it, and the great sages could understand that this was an expansion of Lord Viṣṇu.
  • This expansion, of course, was not viṣṇu-tattva but a specifically empowered expansion of Lord Viṣṇu known as āveśa.

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 15: King Pṛthu’s Appearance and Coronation

Pṛthu and Arci appear from Vena’s arms; Pṛthu receives royal gifts and humbly questions premature praise.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatthat
  2. dṛṣṭvāseeing
  3. mithunamcouple
  4. jātamborn
  5. ṛṣayaḥthe great sages
  6. brahma-vādinaḥvery learned in Vedic knowledge
  7. ūcuḥsaid
  8. paramavery much
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.15

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.15

    In this verse: “purified”, “sinful”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.15

    In this verse: “king”

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 distinction does the purport make between a specifically empowered expansion and viṣṇu-tattva?

Practice

Write a short definition of āveśa using the purport’s words.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVedic Knowledge Recognizes the Lord’s EmpowermentThis 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 4.15.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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