1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min
Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.2.1
विदुर उवाच
भवे शीलवतां श्रेष्ठे दक्षो दुहितृवत्सल: ।
विद्वेषमकरोत्कस्मादनादृत्यात्मजां सतीम् ॥ १ ॥
vidura uvāca
bhave śīlavatāṁ śreṣṭhe
dakṣo duhitṛ-vatsalaḥ
vidveṣam akarot kasmād
anādṛtyātmajāṁ satīm
Vidura inquired: Why was Dakṣa, who was so affectionate towards his daughter, envious of Lord Śiva, who is the best among the gentle? Why did he neglect his daughter Satī?
Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.ioThree study points drawn from the translation and purport.
Lord Śiva is the best among the gentle because he is not envious of anyone and is equal to all living entities.
The word śiva means “all-auspicious.” Lord Śiva is peaceful, renounced and detached from worldly things, living beneath a tree rather than building a house.
Vidura asks why Dakṣa became so hostile toward such a gentle personality. This hostility also meant neglecting his beloved daughter Satī.
Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.
Humiliation and anger → Reconciliation. Relational offense leads to grief and destruction before restoration.
Chapters 1–7 of Canto 4: Dakṣa, Satī and Śiva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc
Dakṣa insults and curses Lord Śiva at a great sacrificial assembly.
Back to this verse in chapter 4.2Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.
The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.
Ūti · The creative impetus
Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 4.2
In this verse: “detached”, “renounced”
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.2
In this verse: “inquired”
Take one thing from this verse into your day.
How might envy interfere with my affection for others?
In one interaction today, make a conscious effort to treat the other person gently, without envy.
The story this chapter belongs to.
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 4.2.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.