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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
4.24.504.24.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.51

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

श्यामश्रोण्यधिरोचिष्णुदुकूलस्वर्णमेखलम् ।

समचार्वङ्‌घ्रिजङ्घोरुनिम्नजानुसुदर्शनम् ॥ ५१ ॥

śyāma-śroṇy-adhi-rociṣṇu-

dukūla-svarṇa-mekhalam

sama-cārv-aṅghri-jaṅghoru-

nimna-jānu-sudarśanam

Translation

The lower part of the Lord’s waist is dark and covered with yellow garments and a belt bedecked with golden embroidery work. His symmetrical lotus feet and the calves, thighs and joints of His legs are extraordinarily beautiful. Indeed, the Lord’s entire body appears to be well built.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Learn About the Lord’s Transcendental Form

  1. 1

    The Lord’s dark waist is covered with yellow garments and a belt decorated with golden embroidery. His lotus feet and legs are extraordinarily beautiful and well formed.

  2. 2

    Lord Śiva is one of the twelve great authorities. He kindly describes the details of the Lord’s bodily features.

  3. 3

    Those who consider the Lord formless should learn about His transcendental sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha. Lord Śiva’s description does not support the argument that the Lord has no form.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva is one of the twelve great authorities mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.20).
  • Here Lord Śiva kindly describes the details of the Lord’s bodily features.
  • Thus the impersonalists’ argument that the Lord has no form cannot be accepted under any circumstance.

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· 1

The purport of SB 4.24.51 quotesSB 6.3.20-21

Lord Śiva is one of the twelve great authorities mentioned in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.3.20).

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. śyāmablackish
  2. śroṇilower part of the waist
  3. adhiextra
  4. rociṣṇupleasing
  5. dukūlagarments
  6. svarṇagolden
  7. mekhalambelt
  8. samasymmetrical
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “kindly”

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 hearing from Lord Śiva guide your understanding of the Lord’s form?

Practice

Read Lord Śiva’s description aloud once, giving careful attention to the Lord’s lotus feet.

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 todayLearn About the Lord’s Transcendental FormThis 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 4.24.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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