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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 23: Mahārāja Pṛthu’s Going Back Home
4.23.244.23.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.23.25

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The wives of the demigodssince 4.23.25inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

देव्य ऊचु:

अहो इयं वधूर्धन्या या चैवं भूभुजां पतिम् ।

सर्वात्मना पतिं भेजे यज्ञेशं श्रीर्वधूरिव ॥ २५ ॥

devya ūcuḥ

aho iyaṁ vadhūr dhanyā

yā caivaṁ bhū-bhujāṁ patim

sarvātmanā patiṁ bheje

yajñeśaṁ śrīr vadhūr iva

Translation

The wives of the demigods said: All glories to Queen Arci! We can see that this queen of the great King Pṛthu, the emperor of all the kings of the world, has served her husband with mind, speech and body exactly as the goddess of fortune serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Yajñeśa, or Viṣṇu.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve Wholeheartedly in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

  1. 1

    The wives of the demigods praise Arci for serving with mind, speech and body. They compare her service to that of the goddess of fortune toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    The purport identifies Lord Kṛṣṇa as the supreme Viṣṇu. Rukmiṇī served Him personally, although many maidservants were available to assist her.

  3. 3

    Husband and wife should live in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, following Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa or Kṛṣṇa-Rukmiṇī. The purport presents this as the way to peace and harmony in family life.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse the words yajñeśaṁ śrīr vadhūr iva indicate that Queen Arci served her husband just as the goddess of fortune serves the Supreme Personality of Godhead Viṣṇu.
  • We can observe that even in the history of this world, when Lord Kṛṣṇa, the supreme Viṣṇu, was ruling over Dvārakā, Queen Rukmiṇī, who was the chief of all Kṛṣṇa’s queens, used to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa personally in spite of having many hundreds of maidservants to assist her.
  • Similarly, the goddess of fortune in the Vaikuṇṭha planets also serves Nārāyaṇa personally, although there are many thousands of devotees prepared to serve the 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.

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 23: Mahārāja Pṛthu’s Going Back Home

Pṛthu practices forest austerities and fixed devotion to Kṛṣṇa, then departs; Arci’s faithful service is praised.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.23
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. devyaḥ ūcuḥthe wives of the demigods said
  2. ahoalas
  3. iyamthis
  4. vadhūḥthe wife
  5. dhanyāmost glorious
  6. yāwho
  7. caalso
  8. evamas
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.23

    In this verse: “king”, “emperor”

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 can your thoughts, words and actions become more united in sincere service?

Practice

Do one helpful task personally today, with kind words and attentive care, rather than leaving it to someone else.

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 4.23's connections

Live this todayServe Wholeheartedly in Kṛṣṇa ConsciousnessThis 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 4.23.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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