1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
4.24.724.24.74

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.73

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
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

ते वयं नोदिता: सर्वे प्रजासर्गे प्रजेश्वरा: ।

अनेन ध्वस्ततमस: सिसृक्ष्मो विविधा: प्रजा: ॥ ७३ ॥

te vayaṁ noditāḥ sarve

prajā-sarge prajeśvarāḥ

anena dhvasta-tamasaḥ

sisṛkṣmo vividhāḥ prajāḥ

Translation

When all the Prajāpatis were ordered to create by Lord Brahmā, we chanted these prayers in praise of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and became completely free from all ignorance. Thus we were able to create different types of living entities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Prayer Frees the Mind From Ignorance

  1. 1

    The Prajāpatis chanted these prayers in praise of the Supreme Personality of Godhead before carrying out creation. Freed from ignorance, they were able to create different types of living entities.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that different bodily forms existed from the beginning of creation. The living entity receives a particular body according to karma, under higher supervision.

  3. 3

    The purport distinguishes the living entity’s promotion through existing bodily forms from the evolution of the forms themselves. It emphasizes that the superior authorities overseeing this process must be free from ignorance and imperfection.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse we can understand that the various types of living entities were created simultaneously at the very beginning of the creation.
  • The higher authorities, as appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, are Lord Brahmā and all other Prajāpatis and Manus.
  • In this verse the word dhvasta-tamasaḥ is very important, for without being free of ignorance one cannot control the creation of different types of living entities.

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 4.24.73 quotesSB 3.31.1

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.31.1), daiva-netreṇa: bodies are awarded under the supervision of superior powers.

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. teby him
  2. vayamall of us
  3. noditāḥordered
  4. sarveall
  5. prajā-sargeat the time of creating population
  6. prajā-īśvarāḥthe controllers of all living entities
  7. anenaby this
  8. dhvasta-tamasaḥbeing freed from all kinds of ignorance
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 4.24

    In this verse: “free from”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanted”

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

What does the Prajāpatis’ example teach me about seeking freedom from ignorance before acting?

Practice

Before undertaking a responsibility today, read aloud a prayer of praise from Lord Śiva’s prayers given here.

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 todayPrayer Frees the Mind From IgnoranceThis 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 4.24.73? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories