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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
4.18.184.18.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.18.19

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

प्रकल्प्य वत्सं कपिलं सिद्धा: सङ्कल्पनामयीम् ।

सिद्धिं नभसि विद्यां च ये च विद्याधरादय: ॥ १९ ॥

prakalpya vatsaṁ kapilaṁ

siddhāḥ saṅkalpanāmayīm

siddhiṁ nabhasi vidyāṁ ca

ye ca vidyādharādayaḥ

Translation

After this, the inhabitants of Siddhaloka, as well as the inhabitants of Vidyādhara-loka, transformed the great sage Kapila into a calf, and making the whole sky into a pot, they milked out specific yogic mystic powers, beginning with aṇimā. Indeed, the inhabitants of Vidyādhara-loka acquired the art of flying in the sky.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mystic Powers Are Natural on Higher Planets

  1. 1

    The inhabitants of Siddhaloka and Vidyādhara-loka made Kapila into a calf and the sky into a pot. They milked mystic powers, including aṇimā and the ability to fly.

  2. 2

    These inhabitants are naturally endowed with powers that yogīs on this planet attain through regular, progressive practice. Flying without a vehicle is commonplace in Vidyādhara-loka.

  3. 3

    Kapila Muni expounded the Sāṅkhya philosophical system. His father, Kardama Muni, was a great mystic who made a vast airplane and traveled through the universes with Devahūti.

Key points from the purport
  • The inhabitants of both Siddhaloka and Vidyādhara-loka are naturally endowed with mystic yogic powers by which they not only can fly in outer space without a vehicle but can also fly from one planet to another simply by exerting their will.
  • Similarly, in Siddhaloka all the inhabitants are great yogīs, perfect in mystic powers.
  • The name of Kapila Muni is significant in this verse because He was the expounder of the Sāṅkhya philosophical system, and His father, Kardama Muni, was a great yogī and mystic.

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. prakalpyaappointing
  2. vatsamcalf
  3. kapilamthe great sage Kapila
  4. siddhāḥthe inhabitants of Siddhaloka
  5. saṅkalpanā-mayīmproceeding from will
  6. siddhimyogic perfection
  7. nabhasiin the sky
  8. vidyāmknowledge
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “father”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “philosophical”

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

How does the contrast between natural abilities and acquired powers broaden my understanding of this account?

Practice

Note one power described here and whether the purport presents it as natural, acquired through practice, or both.

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 4.18's connections

Live this todayMystic Powers Are Natural on Higher PlanetsThis 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 4.18.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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