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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
4.19.294.19.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.19.30

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 4.19.30inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

न वध्यो भवतामिन्द्रो यद्यज्ञो भगवत्तनु: ।

यं जिघांसथ यज्ञेन यस्येष्टास्तनव: सुरा: ॥ ३० ॥

na vadhyo bhavatām indro

yad yajño bhagavat-tanuḥ

yaṁ jighāṁsatha yajñena

yasyeṣṭās tanavaḥ surāḥ

Translation

Lord Brahmā addressed them thus: My dear sacrificial performers, you cannot kill Indra, the King of heaven. It is not your duty. You should know that Indra is as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Indeed, he is one of the most powerful assistants of the Personality of Godhead. You are trying to satisfy all the demigods by the performance of this yajña, but you should know that all these demigods are but parts and parcels of Indra, the King of heaven. How, then, can you kill him in this great sacrifice?

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.

Honor the Lord’s Powerful Assistant

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā told the sacrificial performers that killing Indra was not their duty.

  2. 2

    He described Indra as as good as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, explaining that Indra is one of His most powerful assistants.

  3. 3

    The yajña was intended to satisfy the demigods, whom Brahmā described as parts and parcels of Indra. Killing Indra would contradict that purpose.

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. nanot
  2. vadhyaḥought to be killed
  3. bhavatāmby all of you
  4. indraḥthe King of heaven
  5. yatbecause
  6. yajñaḥa name of Indra
  7. bhagavat-tanuḥpart of the body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. yamwhom
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.19

    In this verse: “duty”

  • 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

Do my actions support the purpose of my worship, or work against it?

Practice

Before one act of worship today, state its purpose and check that your attitude supports it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Lord’s Powerful AssistantThis 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 4.19.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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