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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
4.18.74.18.9-10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.18.8

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

नूनं ता वीरुध: क्षीणा मयि कालेन भूयसा ।

तत्र योगेन द‍ृष्टेन भवानादातुमर्हति ॥ ८ ॥

nūnaṁ tā vīrudhaḥ kṣīṇā

mayi kālena bhūyasā

tatra yogena dṛṣṭena

bhavān ādātum arhati

Translation

Due to being stocked for a very long time, all the grain seeds within me have certainly deteriorated. Therefore you should immediately arrange to take these seeds out by the standard process, which is recommended by the ācāryas or śāstras.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sacrifice Supports the Earth's Abundance

  1. 1

    The earth asked that her deteriorating seeds be recovered through the standard process recommended by the ācāryas and śāstras.

  2. 2

    The purport connects sacrifice with sufficient clouds, rainfall, and grain for people and animals. Mechanical arrangements alone do not make us independent producers of food.

  3. 3

    In Kali-yuga, the recommended sacrifice is saṅkīrtana-yajña. The purport urges people to take up Kṛṣṇa consciousness and worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • When there is a scarcity of grain, the government should follow the methods prescribed in the śāstra and approved by the ācāryas; thus there will be a sufficient production of grains, and food scarcity and famine can be checked.
  • According to this arrangement, human beings should perform the sacrifices recommended in the śāstras, and if they do so there will no longer be food scarcity.
  • Unless the people of the world take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, there will be a scarcity of food and much suffering.

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. nūnamtherefore
  2. tāḥthose
  3. vīrudhaḥherbs and grains
  4. kṣīṇāḥdeteriorated
  5. mayiwithin me
  6. kālenain course of time
  7. bhūyasāvery much
  8. tatratherefore
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.18

    In this verse: “worship”

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 remember our dependence on the Supreme Lord when thinking about food and prosperity?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to participate in saṅkīrtana, the recommended sacrifice for this age.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySacrifice Supports the Earth's AbundanceThis 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 4.18.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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