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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 22: Pṛthu Mahārāja’s Meeting with the Four Kumāras
4.22.424.22.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.22.43

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 4.22.42inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

निष्पादितश्च कार्त्स्‍न्येन भगवद्‌भिर्घृणालुभि: ।

साधूच्छिष्टं हि मे सर्वमात्मना सह किं ददे ॥ ४३ ॥

niṣpāditaś ca kārtsnyena

bhagavadbhir ghṛṇālubhiḥ

sādhūcchiṣṭaṁ hi me sarvam

ātmanā saha kiṁ dade

Translation

My dear brāhmaṇa, you have carried out the order thoroughly because you are also as compassionate as the Lord. It is my duty, therefore, to offer you something, but all I possess are but remnants of food taken by great saintly persons. What shall I give?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Gratitude Recognizes Everything as Received Mercy

  1. 1

    Pṛthu Mahārāja praised the Kumāras for carrying out the Lord’s order with compassion. He felt a duty to offer them something in return.

  2. 2

    His kingdom had already come through the mercy of great saintly persons. He therefore compared his possessions to remnants of food received from them.

  3. 3

    Pṛthu Mahārāja wondered how he could offer back what he had already received from the saints. Yet indirectly he offered everything, leaving them free to use his possessions as they wished.

Key points from the purport
  • Pṛthu Mahārāja got his kingdom from great saintly persons like Bhṛgu and others just as one gets remnants of food.
  • Since King Pṛthu was thus offered the kingdom by the virtue of the mercy of great saintly persons, he did not want to divide his kingdom among saints like the Kumāras.
  • Pṛthu Mahārāja’s position was something like that: whatever he possessed had already been chewed, and therefore he could not offer it to the Kumāras.

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

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 22: Pṛthu Mahārāja’s Meeting with the Four Kumāras

The four Kumāras instruct Pṛthu, who dedicates himself and the fruits of his activities to the Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.22
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. niṣpāditaḥ caalso the order is properly carried out
  2. kārtsnyenain full
  3. bhagavadbhiḥby the representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. ghṛṇālubhiḥby the most compassionate
  5. sādhu-ucchiṣṭamremnants of the foodstuffs of saintly persons
  6. hicertainly
  7. memine
  8. sarvameverything
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.22

    In this verse: “compassionate”, “compassion”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.22

    In this verse: “duty”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.22

    In this verse: “kingdom”

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

How does remembering what I have received change my desire to give?

Practice

Write down one thing you have received through saintly guidance and one way you can use it in service.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.22's connections

Live this todayGratitude Recognizes Everything as Received MercyThis 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 4.22.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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