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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
4.15.224.15.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.15.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Pṛthusince 4.15.22inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तस्मात्परोक्षेऽस्मदुपश्रुतान्यलं

करिष्यथ स्तोत्रमपीच्यवाच: ।

सत्युत्तमश्लोकगुणानुवादे

जुगुप्सितं न स्तवयन्ति सभ्या: ॥ २३ ॥

tasmāt parokṣe ’smad-upaśrutāny alaṁ

kariṣyatha stotram apīcya-vācaḥ

saty uttamaśloka-guṇānuvāde

jugupsitaṁ na stavayanti sabhyāḥ

Translation

O gentle reciters, offer such prayers in due course of time, when the qualities of which you have spoken actually manifest themselves in me. The gentle who offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead do not attribute such qualities to a human being, who does not actually have them.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Praise Qualities Only When They Manifest

  1. 1

    Gentle devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead know who is God and who is not. They do not attribute His qualities to a human being who lacks them.

  2. 2

    Although Pṛthu Mahārāja was truly an incarnation, he asked the reciters to wait until the qualities they praised became manifest.

  3. 3

    No one should engage followers in praising qualities merely expected to develop in the future. The purport explains that such praise is actually an insult.

Key points from the purport
  • Gentle devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead know perfectly well who is God and who is not.
  • Nondevotee impersonalists, however, who have no idea what God is and who never offer prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are always interested in accepting a human being as God and offering such prayers to him.
  • If a man who does not factually possess the attributes of a great personality engages his followers in praising him with the expectation that such attributes will develop in the future, that sort of praise is actually an insult.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. parokṣein some future time
  3. asmatmy
  4. upaśrutāniabout the qualities spoken of
  5. alamsufficiently
  6. kariṣyathayou will be able to offer
  7. stotramprayers
  8. apīcya-vācaḥO gentle reciters
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.15

    In this verse: “reciters”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.15

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

Do I seek recognition for qualities I hope to develop but have not yet shown?

Practice

Choose one quality you wish to develop, and make one quiet effort to practice it today rather than seeking praise for it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.15's connections

Live this todayPraise Qualities Only When They ManifestThis 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 4.15.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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