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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
4.19.164.19.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.19.17

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

सोऽश्वं रूपं च तद्धित्वा तस्मा अन्तर्हित: स्वराट् ।

वीर: स्वपशुमादाय पितुर्यज्ञमुपेयिवान् ॥ १७ ॥

so ’śvaṁ rūpaṁ ca tad dhitvā

tasmā antarhitaḥ svarāṭ

vīraḥ sva-paśum ādāya

pitur yajñam upeyivān

Translation

When Indra saw that the son of Pṛthu was chasing him, he immediately abandoned his false dress and left the horse. Indeed, he disappeared from that very spot, and the great hero, the son of Mahārāja Pṛthu, returned the horse to his father’s sacrificial arena.

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.

Recovering the Horse Restores the Sacrifice

  1. 1

    Seeing Pṛthu’s son pursuing him, Indra abandoned both his false dress and the horse.

  2. 2

    Indra then disappeared from that very spot.

  3. 3

    The heroic son of Mahārāja Pṛthu recovered the horse and returned it to his father’s sacrificial arena.

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. saḥKing Indra
  2. aśvamthe horse
  3. rūpamthe false dress of a saintly person
  4. caalso
  5. tatthat
  6. hitvāgiving up
  7. tasmaifor him
  8. antarhitaḥdisappeared
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 4.19

    In this verse: “father’s”

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

When an obstacle is removed, do I return my attention to completing the service?

Practice

Return one item needed for a shared task to the place where it belongs.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecovering the Horse Restores the SacrificeThis 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 4.19.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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