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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
4.24.714.24.73

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.72

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

इदमाह पुरास्माकं भगवान् विश्वसृक्पति: ।

भृग्वादीनामात्मजानां सिसृक्षु: संसिसृक्षताम् ॥ ७२ ॥

idam āha purāsmākaṁ

bhagavān viśvasṛk-patiḥ

bhṛgv-ādīnām ātmajānāṁ

sisṛkṣuḥ saṁsisṛkṣatām

Translation

This prayer was first spoken to us by Lord Brahmā, the master of all creators. The creators, headed by Bhṛgu, were instructed in these prayers because they wanted to create.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Lord While Performing Your Duties

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā taught these prayers to his sons and disciples as they prepared for creation. The prayers helped them remember their relationship with the Lord amid material engagement.

  2. 2

    Our first duty is to remain in constant contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Occupational duties become a waste of time if we forget our eternal relationship with Him.

  3. 3

    We need not abandon our occupations to practice devotional service through hearing, chanting, and remembering. By performing our duties to satisfy the Lord, we can attain life’s perfection.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Brahmā was created by Lord Viṣṇu; then Lord Brahmā created Lord Śiva and other great sages, headed by Bhṛgu Muni.
  • The conclusion is that even if one is busy executing his occupational duty, his business in Kṛṣṇa consciousness need not be hampered.
  • Thus one can continue with his occupational duty, but if he worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead as Lord Śiva herein prescribes, he attains his perfection of life.

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 4.24.72 quotesSB 1.2.8

This is confirmed in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.2.8): The conclusion is that even if one is busy executing his occupational duty, his business in Kṛṣṇa consciousness need not be hampered.

The purport of SB 4.24.72 quotesBG 18.46

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (18.46): “By worship of the Lord — who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading — man can, in the performance of his own duty, attain perfection.”

The purport of SB 4.24.72 quotesSB 1.2.13

Svanuṣṭhitasya dharmasya saṁsiddhir hari-toṣaṇam: we should continue executing our occupational duties, but if we try to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead by our duties, then our lives will be perfected.

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. idamthis
  2. āhasaid
  3. purāformerly
  4. asmākamunto us
  5. bhagavānthe lord
  6. viśva-sṛkthe creators of the universe
  7. patiḥmaster
  8. bhṛgu-ādīnāmof the great sages headed by Bhṛgu
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “duty”, “duties”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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 might remembering my relationship with the Lord change the way I perform one daily duty?

Practice

Choose one duty today and, before starting it, pray that your work may satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 todayRemember the Lord While Performing Your DutiesThis 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 4.24.72? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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