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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 18: Pṛthu Mahārāja Milks the Earth Planet
4.18.23-244.18.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.18.25

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

वटवत्सा वनस्पतय: पृथग्रसमयं पय: ।

गिरयो हिमवद्वत्सा नानाधातून् स्वसानुषु ॥ २५ ॥

vaṭa-vatsā vanaspatayaḥ

pṛthag rasamayaṁ payaḥ

girayo himavad-vatsā

nānā-dhātūn sva-sānuṣu

Translation

The trees made a calf out of the banyan tree, and thus they derived milk in the form of many delicious juices. The mountains transformed the Himālayas into a calf, and they milked a variety of minerals into a pot made of the peaks of hills.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Earth Yields Juices and Minerals

  1. 1

    The trees made the banyan tree their calf. They received milk in the form of many delicious juices.

  2. 2

    The mountains made the Himālayas their calf. They milked a variety of minerals from the earth.

  3. 3

    The mountains used the peaks of hills as their pot. Here, the milk took the forms of juices and minerals.

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. vaṭa-vatsāḥmaking the banyan tree a calf
  2. vanaḥ-patayaḥthe trees
  3. pṛthakdifferent
  4. rasa-mayamin the form of juices
  5. payaḥmilk
  6. girayaḥthe hills and mountains
  7. himavat-vatsāḥmaking the Himālayas the calf
  8. nānāvarious
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

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 this verse broaden my appreciation of what the earth supplies?

Practice

Notice one juice or mineral you use today and reflect on its connection with the earth.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Earth Yields Juices and MineralsThis 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 4.18.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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