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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
4.24.174.24.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 4.24.17inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

आत्मारामोऽपि यस्त्वस्य लोककल्पस्य राधसे ।

शक्त्या युक्तो विचरति घोरया भगवान् भव: ॥ १८ ॥

ātmārāmo ’pi yas tv asya

loka-kalpasya rādhase

śaktyā yukto vicarati

ghorayā bhagavān bhavaḥ

Translation

Lord Śiva, the most powerful demigod, second only to Lord Viṣṇu, is self-sufficient. Although he has nothing to aspire for in the material world, for the benefit of those in the material world he is always busily engaged everywhere and is accompanied by his dangerous energies like the goddess Kālī and the goddess Durgā.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Follow Lord Śiva’s Teaching: Worship Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva is the greatest devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although self-satisfied, he works for the benefit of the material world and controls powerful material energies.

  2. 2

    The purport emphasizes Śrīpāda Śaṅkarācārya’s final instruction to worship Kṛṣṇa, or Govinda. Liberation cannot be achieved simply through word jugglery and grammatical puzzles.

  3. 3

    Material facilities are not the goal of devotion. Lord Viṣṇu gives those who worship Him with love the intelligence to progress back home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Asuras do not know the secret of the energy of Lord Śiva, and they prefer to worship the goddess Kālī or Durgā or Lord Śiva for material benefit.
  • Since Lord Śiva controls the great material energy (the goddess Durgā), worshipers of Lord Śiva attain very opulent positions within this material world.
  • Both Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva are incarnations of Lord Viṣṇu, but Lord Brahmā is in charge of the creation whereas Lord Śiva is in charge of the destruction, which he carries out with the help of his material energy, goddess Kālī, or goddess Durgā.

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 4.24.18 quotesSB 6.3.20-21

Lord Śiva is one of the twelve great personalities, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.20): These are twelve great authorities in preaching God consciousness.

The purport of SB 4.24.18 quotesBG 7.15

Due to their demoniac character, they are reluctant to surrender to Lord Kṛṣṇa, as indicated by Bhagavad-gītā (7.15): Lord Śiva’s duty is very dangerous because he has to employ the energy of the goddess Kālī, or Durgā.

The purport of SB 4.24.18 quotesBG 10.10

Lord Viṣṇu gives His devotees intelligence from within, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (10.10): “To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.”

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. ātma-ārāmaḥself-satisfied
  2. apialthough he is
  3. yaḥone who is
  4. tubut
  5. asyathis
  6. lokamaterial world
  7. kalpasyawhen manifested
  8. rādhasefor the matter of helping its existence
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotion”, “devotee”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “dangerous”

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

Do I measure spiritual progress by possessions or by growing devotion to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to Kṛṣṇa today, asking for understanding to serve Him rather than for material possessions.

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 6.3.20

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

Live this todayFollow Lord Śiva’s Teaching: Worship KṛṣṇaThis 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 4.24.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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