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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 18: Pṛthu Mahārāja Milks the Earth Planet
4.18.134.18.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.18.14

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.18.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ऋषयो दुदुहुर्देवीमिन्द्रियेष्वथ सत्तम ।

वत्सं बृहस्पतिं कृत्वा पयश्छन्दोमयं शुचि ॥ १४ ॥

ṛṣayo duduhur devīm

indriyeṣv atha sattama

vatsaṁ bṛhaspatiṁ kṛtvā

payaś chandomayaṁ śuci

Translation

All the great sages transformed Bṛhaspati into a calf, and making the senses into a pot, they milked all kinds of Vedic knowledge to purify words, mind and hearing.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Nourish the Senses With the Holy Names

  1. 1

    The great sages received Vedic knowledge through Bṛhaspati for the benefit of human society throughout the universes.

  2. 2

    Grains and other bodily necessities alone cannot make society sufficiently prosperous. The mind, ears and speech also need nourishment through Vedic knowledge.

  3. 3

    The Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is the essence of all Vedic knowledge. Regular chanting and hearing through the devotional process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam purifies society and brings material and spiritual happiness.

Key points from the purport
  • Vedic knowledge was received in logical order by the great sages through Bṛhaspati for the benefit of human society, not only on this planet, but throughout the universes.
  • In other words, Vedic knowledge is considered one of the necessities for human society.
  • In Kali-yuga, if this Vedic mahā-mantra is chanted regularly and heard regularly by the devotional process of śravaṇaṁ kīrtanam, it will purify all societies, and thus humanity will be happy both materially and spiritually.

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 18: Pṛthu Mahārāja Milks the Earth Planet

Pṛthu and others milk the earth; he provides citizens with food, employment, and places to live.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ṛṣayaḥthe great sages
  2. duduhuḥmilked
  3. devīmthe earth
  4. indriyeṣuin the senses
  5. athathen
  6. sattamaO Vidura
  7. vatsamthe calf
  8. bṛhaspatimthe sage Bṛhaspati
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “hearing”, “chanting”, “kīrtanam”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “purify”, “purifies”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 am I giving my mind and ears for spiritual nourishment?

Practice

Chant and attentively hear: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNourish the Senses With the Holy NamesThis 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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