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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
4.2.344.3.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.2.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.2.34inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

आप्लुत्यावभृथं यत्र गङ्गा यमुनयान्विता ।

विरजेनात्मना सर्वे स्वं स्वं धाम ययुस्तत: ॥ ३५ ॥

āplutyāvabhṛthaṁ yatra

gaṅgā yamunayānvitā

virajenātmanā sarve

svaṁ svaṁ dhāma yayus tataḥ

Translation

My dear Vidura, carrier of bows and arrows, all the demigods who were performing the sacrifice took their bath at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā after completing the yajña performance. Such a bath is called avabhṛtha-snāna. After thus becoming purified in heart, they departed for their respective abodes.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve the Supreme Lord and Respect All

  1. 1

    The sages continued the sacrifice to satisfy the Supreme Lord even after Śiva and Dakṣa had left. At its completion, the participants took avabhṛtha-snāna at the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamunā and departed purified in heart.

  2. 2

    Transcendental loving service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead does not require separate worship of the demigods, but one should still respect them. Worshiping the Supreme Lord satisfies them, just as watering a tree’s root nourishes its branches and leaves.

  3. 3

    In the Age of Kali, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam recommends saṅkīrtana-yajña, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Loving service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the goal, rather than seeking material benefits from demigods.

Key points from the purport
  • Of course, this does not mean that one should not show respect to the demigods; but there is no need to worship them.
  • Similarly, one who engages in the transcendental loving service of the Supreme Lord does not need to worship any demigod, nor does he have any tendency to show disrespect to the demigods.
  • Thus by worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead one can satisfy all the demigods, but by worshiping all the demigods one does not completely worship the Supreme Lord.

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

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 4.2.35 quotesBG 7.20

This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.20).

The purport of SB 4.2.35 quotesBG 9.23

Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā (9.23) it is stated, ye ’py anya-devatā-bhaktā yajante śraddhayānvitāḥ.

The purport of SB 4.2.35 quotesSB 11.5.32

Yajñaiḥ saṅkīrtana-prāyair yajanti hi sumedhasaḥ: “In this age the intelligent person completes the performances of all kinds of yajñas simply by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. āplutyataking a bath
  2. avabhṛthamthe bath which is taken after performing sacrifices
  3. yatrawhere
  4. gaṅgāthe river Ganges
  5. yamunayāby the river Yamunā
  6. anvitāmixed
  7. virajenawithout infection
  8. ātmanāby the mind
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.2

    In this verse: “purified”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I make loving service to the Supreme Lord my focus while remaining respectful toward the demigods?

Practice

Chant attentively today: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare / Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 11.5.32

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.2's connections

Live this todayServe the Supreme Lord and Respect AllThis 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 4.2.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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