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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
4.18.204.18.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.18.21

Ūti· What drives us to act
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

यक्षरक्षांसि भूतानि पिशाचा: पिशिताशना: ।

भूतेशवत्सा दुदुहु: कपाले क्षतजासवम् ॥ २१ ॥

yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi bhūtāni

piśācāḥ piśitāśanāḥ

bhūteśa-vatsā duduhuḥ

kapāle kṣatajāsavam

Translation

Then the Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, ghosts and witches, who are habituated to eating flesh, transformed Lord Śiva’s incarnation Rudra [Bhūtanātha] into a calf and milked out beverages made of blood and put them in a pot made of skulls.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Habits Associated With the Mode of Ignorance

  1. 1

    The Yakṣas, Rākṣasas, ghosts and witches were habituated to eating flesh. They made Rudra into a calf and collected beverages made of blood in a pot of skulls.

  2. 2

    The purport describes these eating habits as degraded and places their leaders in the mode of ignorance.

  3. 3

    Rudra, an incarnation of Lord Śiva, governs the mode of ignorance in material nature. Lord Śiva is also called Bhūtanātha, meaning “master of ghosts.”

Key points from the purport
  • Rudra is the incarnation of Lord Śiva and is in charge of the mode of ignorance in material nature.
  • Another name of Lord Śiva is Bhūtanātha, meaning “master of ghosts.”
  • Rudra was born from between Brahmā’s eyes when Brahmā was very angry at the four Kumāras.

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. yakṣathe Yakṣas (the descendants of Kuvera)
  2. rakṣāṁsithe Rākṣasas (meat-eaters)
  3. bhūtānighosts
  4. piśācāḥwitches
  5. piśita-aśanāḥwho are all habituated to eating flesh
  6. bhūteśaLord Śiva’s incarnation Rudra
  7. vatsāḥwhose calf
  8. duduhuḥmilked out
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “governs”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “material”

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 does this verse ask me to consider about the influence of eating habits?

Practice

Choose one meal without flesh today, reflecting on the habits described in this verse.

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 todayHabits Associated With the Mode of IgnoranceThis 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 4.18.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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