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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
4.24.314.24.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.32

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.24.32inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Śiva → the Pracetās

मैत्रेय उवाच

इत्यनुक्रोशहृदयो भगवानाह ताञ्छिव: ।

बद्धाञ्जलीन् राजपुत्रान्नारायणपरो वच: ॥ ३२ ॥

maitreya uvāca

ity anukrośa-hṛdayo

bhagavān āha tāñ chivaḥ

baddhāñjalīn rāja-putrān

nārāyaṇa-paro vacaḥ

Translation

The great sage Maitreya continued: Out of his causeless mercy, the exalted personality Lord Śiva, a great devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa, continued to speak to the King’s sons, who were standing with folded hands.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Receive the Mantra with Attentive Hearing

  1. 1

    Out of causeless mercy, Lord Śiva voluntarily came to bless the King’s sons. This great devotee of Nārāyaṇa spoke while they stood with folded hands.

  2. 2

    A mantra becomes more powerful when chanted by a great devotee. Although the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra is powerful in itself, a disciple receives it from the spiritual master upon initiation.

  3. 3

    Lord Śiva personally chanted the mantra and advised the King’s sons to chant it. He asked them to hear attentively, because inattentive hearing is offensive.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva voluntarily came to bless the sons of the King as well as do something beneficial for them.
  • When a mantra is chanted by a great devotee, the mantra becomes more powerful.
  • Lord Śiva advised the sons of the King to hear him attentively, for inattentive hearing is offensive.

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. maitreyaḥ uvācathe great saint Maitreya continued to speak
  2. itithus
  3. anukrośa-hṛdayaḥvery kindhearted
  4. bhagavānthe lord
  5. āhasaid
  6. tānunto the Pracetās
  7. śivaḥLord Śiva
  8. baddha-añjalīnwho were standing with folded hands
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”, “causeless”, “bless”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “chanted”, “hearing”

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 receive devotional instruction with gratitude and attentive hearing?

Practice

During your next hearing of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, stop other activities and listen carefully.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReceive the Mantra with Attentive HearingThis 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 4.24.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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