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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 2: Dakṣa Curses Lord Śiva
4.2.174.2.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.2.18

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

अयं तु देवयजन इन्द्रोपेन्द्रादिभिर्भव: ।

सह भागं न लभतां देवैर्देवगणाधम: ॥ १८ ॥

ayaṁ tu deva-yajana

indropendrādibhir bhavaḥ

saha bhāgaṁ na labhatāṁ

devair deva-gaṇādhamaḥ

Translation

The demigods are eligible to share in the oblations of sacrifice, but Lord Śiva, who is the lowest of all the demigods, should not have a share.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Protect Devotional Service From Materialistic Company

  1. 1

    Dakṣa’s curse deprived Lord Śiva of a share in Vedic sacrificial oblations. The purport explains that this exclusion was indirectly a blessing.

  2. 2

    Lord Śiva is the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The curse spared him from eating or sitting with demigods who were too materialistic.

  3. 3

    Gaurakiśora dāsa Bābājī Mahārāja protected his chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa from materialistic interruptions. The conclusion is that Śiva acted in his own way to avoid company that might disturb his devotional service.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva is the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and it is not fitting for him to eat or sit with materialistic persons like the demigods.
  • Thus the curse of Dakṣa was indirectly a blessing, for Śiva would not have to eat or sit with other demigods, who were too materialistic.
  • The conclusion is that Lord Śiva behaved in his own way to avoid materialistic persons who might disturb him in his prosecution of devotional service.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. ayamthat
  2. tubut
  3. deva-yajanein the sacrifice of the demigods
  4. indra-upendra-ādibhiḥwith Indra, Upendra and the others
  5. bhavaḥŚiva
  6. sahaalong with
  7. bhāgama portion
  8. nanot
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.2

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.2

    In this verse: “materialistic”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.2

    In this verse: “chanting”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What company or interruption most often draws me away from devotional service?

Practice

Set aside a few uninterrupted minutes today to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayProtect Devotional Service From Materialistic CompanyThis 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 4.2.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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