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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
4.23.254.23.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.23.26

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The wives of the demigodssince 4.23.26inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सैषा नूनं व्रजत्यूर्ध्वमनु वैन्यं पतिं सती ।

पश्यतास्मानतीत्यार्चिर्दुर्विभाव्येन कर्मणा ॥ २६ ॥

saiṣā nūnaṁ vrajaty ūrdhvam

anu vainyaṁ patiṁ satī

paśyatāsmān atītyārcir

durvibhāvyena karmaṇā

Translation

The wives of the demigods continued: Just see how this chaste lady, Arci, by dint of her inconceivable pious activities, is still following her husband upward, as far as we can see.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotees Reach Vaikuṇṭha as Individual Persons

  1. 1

    Pṛthu Mahārāja and Arci passed beyond the realms of the demigods toward Vaikuṇṭhaloka. The Vaikuṇṭha planets lie beyond the material planets in the spiritual sky.

  2. 2

    They received spiritual bodies and traveled in separate spiritual airplanes. The purport emphasizes that they remained individual persons and did not lose their identities.

  3. 3

    Pṛthu Mahārāja was a pure devotee, and Arci followed her devotee husband. Their inconceivable activities are described as beyond the capacity of ordinary people.

Key points from the purport
  • When they looked down they could see that the body of Pṛthu Mahārāja was being burned and that his wife, Arci, was entering into the fire, and when they looked upward they could see how they were being carried in two airplanes to the Vaikuṇṭhalokas.
  • Pṛthu Mahārāja was a pure devotee, and his wife, Queen Arci, simply followed her husband.
  • This is evinced by the inconceivable activities of Mahārāja Pṛthu and his wife.

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. sāshe
  2. eṣāthis
  3. nūnamcertainly
  4. vrajatigoing
  5. ūrdhvamupward
  6. anufollowing
  7. vainyamthe son of Vena
  8. patimhusband
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.23

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.23

    In this verse: “material”

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 retaining personal identity in the spiritual world deepen your understanding of liberation?

Practice

Write down this teaching for reflection: “Liberation does not mean losing one’s individual identity.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotees Reach Vaikuṇṭha as Individual PersonsThis 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 4.23.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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