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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 2: Dakṣa Curses Lord Śiva
4.2.164.2.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.2.17

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.2.17inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

विनिन्द्यैवं स गिरिशमप्रतीपमवस्थितम् ।

दक्षोऽथाप उपस्पृश्य क्रुद्ध: शप्तुं प्रचक्रमे ॥ १७ ॥

maitreya uvāca

vinindyaivaṁ sa giriśam

apratīpam avasthitam

dakṣo ’thāpa upaspṛśya

kruddhaḥ śaptuṁ pracakrame

Translation

The sage Maitreya continued: Thus Dakṣa, seeing Lord Śiva sitting as if against him, washed his hands and mouth and cursed him in the following words.

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.

Seeing Opposition, Dakṣa Prepares a Curse

  1. 1

    Maitreya describes Dakṣa seeing Lord Śiva sitting as if against him.

  2. 2

    Dakṣa washed his hands and mouth before speaking his curse.

  3. 3

    The account moves from Dakṣa’s perception of opposition to his act of cursing Śiva.

How it feels

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

Further reading

Chapter 2: Dakṣa Curses Lord Śiva

Dakṣa insults and curses Lord Śiva at a great sacrificial assembly.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācaMaitreya said
  2. vinindyaabusing
  3. evamthus
  4. saḥhe (Dakṣa)
  5. giriśamŚiva
  6. apratīpamwithout any hostility
  7. avasthitamremaining
  8. dakṣaḥDakṣa
3

Key ideas in this 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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I sometimes take another person’s quiet presence as a sign of opposition?

Practice

Today, pause before treating someone’s silence as hostility.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeeing Opposition, Dakṣa Prepares a CurseThis 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.

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