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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
4.24.264.24.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Śivasince 4.24.27inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Śiva → the Pracetās

श्रीरुद्र उवाच

यूयं वेदिषद: पुत्रा विदितं वश्चिकीर्षितम् ।

अनुग्रहाय भद्रं व एवं मे दर्शनं

कृतम् ॥ २७ ॥

śrī-rudra uvāca

yūyaṁ vediṣadaḥ putrā

viditaṁ vaś cikīrṣitam

anugrahāya bhadraṁ va

evaṁ me darśanaṁ kṛtam

Translation

Lord Śiva said: You are all the sons of King Prācīnabarhi, and I wish all good fortune to you. I also know what you are going to do, and therefore I am visible to you just to show my mercy upon you.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serving the Supreme Lord Pleases the Demigods

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva knew that the princes intended to worship Lord Viṣṇu through severe austerities and penances. Pleased with their intention, he appeared to show them mercy.

  2. 2

    Even someone who is not yet a devotee but desires to serve the Supreme Lord receives the demigods’ blessings. Worshiping the Supreme Lord pleases them without separate efforts to win their favor.

  3. 3

    The demigods are servants of the Lord and are ready to help His devotees. A devotee of Kṛṣṇa need not separately strive for material opulence or liberation, because devotional service brings all these benefits.

Key points from the purport
  • By these words Lord Śiva indicates that what the princes were going to do was known to him.
  • Thus a devotee of the Lord does not need to try to please the demigods separately.
  • Simply by worshiping the Supreme Lord, a devotee can please all of them.

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

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. śrī-rudraḥ uvācaLord Śiva began to speak
  2. yūyamall of you
  3. vediṣadaḥof King Prācīnabarhi
  4. putrāḥsons
  5. viditamknowing
  6. vaḥyour
  7. cikīrṣitamdesires
  8. anugrahāyafor the matter of showing you mercy
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “mercy”, “blessings”, “favor”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”, “worship”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “king”

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

Am I making devotional service my goal, or treating it as a means to gain something else?

Practice

Offer a short prayer today expressing your desire to serve the Supreme Lord, without asking for material gain or liberation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayServing the Supreme Lord Pleases the DemigodsThis 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 4.24.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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