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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 19: King Pṛthu’s One Hundred Horse Sacrifices
4.18.324.19.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.19.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.19.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

अथादीक्षत राजा तु हयमेधशतेन स: ।

ब्रह्मावर्ते मनो: क्षेत्रे यत्र प्राची सरस्वती ॥ १ ॥

maitreya uvāca

athādīkṣata rājā tu

hayamedha-śatena saḥ

brahmāvarte manoḥ kṣetre

yatra prācī sarasvatī

Translation

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear Vidura, King Pṛthu initiated the performance of one hundred horse sacrifices at the spot where the river Sarasvatī flows towards the east. This piece of land is known as Brahmāvarta, and it was controlled by Svāyambhuva Manu.

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.

Pṛthu Begins One Hundred Horse Sacrifices

  1. 1

    Maitreya tells Vidura that King Pṛthu initiated the performance of one hundred horse sacrifices.

  2. 2

    The chosen place was Brahmāvarta, where the river Sarasvatī flows toward the east.

  3. 3

    This land was controlled by Svāyambhuva Manu. The translation carefully identifies the setting of Pṛthu’s sacrifices.

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 19: King Pṛthu’s One Hundred Horse Sacrifices

Indra repeatedly takes the sacrificial horse, and Brahmā restrains Pṛthu’s anger.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.19
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācathe sage Maitreya said
  2. athathereafter
  3. adīkṣatatook initiation
  4. rājāthe King
  5. tuthen
  6. hayahorse
  7. medhasacrifices
  8. śatenato perform one hundred
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.19

    In this verse: “king”

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 details about the place of Pṛthu’s sacrifices help you picture this scene?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and recall the king, the river and the place of sacrifice.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPṛthu Begins One Hundred Horse SacrificesThis 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 4.19.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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