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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
4.24.294.24.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Śivasince 4.24.28inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Śiva → the Pracetās

अथ भागवता यूयं प्रिया: स्थ भगवान् यथा ।

न मद्भागवतानां च प्रेयानन्योऽस्ति कर्हिचित् ॥ ३० ॥

atha bhāgavatā yūyaṁ

priyāḥ stha bhagavān yathā

na mad bhāgavatānāṁ ca

preyān anyo ’sti karhicit

Translation

You are all devotees of the Lord, and as such I appreciate that you are as respectable as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself. I know in this way that the devotees also respect me and that I am dear to them. Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor Lord Śiva as Kṛṣṇa’s Devotee

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva is the best of all devotees. He loves the devotees of the Supreme Lord and respects them as much as he respects the Lord.

  2. 2

    Devotees of Kṛṣṇa honor Lord Śiva as Kṛṣṇa’s most exalted devotee, not as a separate Supreme Personality of Godhead. Their respect never means disregarding his position as the Lord’s servant.

  3. 3

    A devotee prays to Lord Śiva for Kṛṣṇa’s favor, not for material profit. This devotional purpose distinguishes such worship from worship driven by material desire.

Key points from the purport
  • Because Lord Śiva is a great devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he loves all the devotees of the Supreme Lord.
  • Not only are the devotees dear to Lord Śiva, but he respects them as much as he respects the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Similarly, devotees of the Supreme Lord also worship Lord Śiva as the most dear devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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 4.24.30 quotesBG 7.20

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.20) it is said that generally people worship demigods for some material profit (kāmais tais tair hṛta-jñānāḥ prapadyante ’nya-devatāḥ).

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.2.46

Thus no one can be as dear to the devotees as I am.”

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. athatherefore
  2. bhāgavatāḥdevotees
  3. yūyamall of you
  4. priyāḥvery dear to me
  5. sthayou are
  6. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. yathāas
  8. naneither
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: “devotees”, “devotional”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “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

How can my respect for Lord Śiva deepen my desire for Kṛṣṇa’s favor?

Practice

Offer Lord Śiva a brief prayer asking for Kṛṣṇa’s favor rather than material gain.

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 4.24's connections

Live this todayHonor Lord Śiva as Kṛṣṇa’s DevoteeThis 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 4.24.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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