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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 24: Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Śiva
4.24.134.24.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.14

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.24.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

पित्रादिष्टा: प्रजासर्गे तपसेऽर्णवमाविशन् ।

दशवर्षसहस्राणि तपसार्चंस्तपस्पतिम् ॥ १४ ॥

pitrādiṣṭāḥ prajā-sarge

tapase ’rṇavam āviśan

daśa-varṣa-sahasrāṇi

tapasārcaṁs tapas-patim

Translation

When all these Pracetās were ordered by their father to marry and beget children, they all entered the ocean and practiced austerities and penances for ten thousand years. Thus they worshiped the master of all austerity, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Austerity Finds Its Goal in Devotion

  1. 1

    The Pracetās entered the ocean and performed austerities for ten thousand years. They worshiped Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and master of austerity.

  2. 2

    The success of austerity is to attain the Supreme Lord’s favor. Without reaching devotional service, austerities and penances have no meaning.

  3. 3

    By Lord Caitanya’s grace, chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra brings the highest perfection previously attained through prolonged austerity. This chanting is a great concession for people in the Age of Kali.

Key points from the purport
  • If one wants to perform austerities and penances in order to attain the supreme goal, one must attain the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Thus the desired result of performing austerities may be derived from Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • By the grace of Lord Caitanya, one who chants the mahā-mantra — Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare — attains the highest perfectional stage, which had previously been attained by people who entered the ocean and executed austerities for ten thousand years.

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· 2

The purport of SB 4.24.14 quotesBG 5.29

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the master of all penances and sacrifices (bhoktāraṁ yajña-tapasāṁ sarva-loka-maheśvaram).

The purport of SB 4.24.14 quotesSB 3.33.7

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.33.7) it is stated: Even if a person is born in a family of caṇḍālas — the lowest birth one can get in human society — he is glorious if he chants the holy names of the Lord, for it is to be understood that by such chanting a devotee definitely proves that he underwent all kinds of…

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

Worldly absorption → Sobering awareness. The mind's identification with material life becomes visible.

Chapters 24–29 of Canto 4: Śiva's song and the allegory of Purañjana. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 24: Chanting the Song Sung by Lord Śiva

Lord Śiva mercifully teaches the Pracetās prayers glorifying the Supreme Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pitrāby the father
  2. ādiṣṭāḥbeing ordered by
  3. prajā-sargein the matter of begetting children
  4. tapasefor executing austerity
  5. arṇavamin the ocean
  6. āviśanentered
  7. daśa-varṣaten years
  8. sahasrāṇisuch thousands
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “father”, “children”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.24

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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “grace”, “favor”

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

Is my spiritual effort aimed at pleasing Kṛṣṇa or merely enduring difficulty?

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 3.33.7

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.24's connections

Live this todayAusterity Finds Its Goal in DevotionThis 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 4.24.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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