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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
4.24.774.24.79

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.24.78

Mukti· Liberation
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

इदं य: कल्य उत्थाय प्राञ्जलि: श्रद्धयान्वित: ।

श‍ृणुयाच्छ्रावयेन्मर्त्यो मुच्यते कर्मबन्धनै: ॥ ७८ ॥

idaṁ yaḥ kalya utthāya

prāñjaliḥ śraddhayānvitaḥ

śṛṇuyāc chrāvayen martyo

mucyate karma-bandhanaiḥ

Translation

A devotee who rises early in the morning and with folded hands chants these prayers sung by Lord Śiva, and gives facility to others to hear them, certainly becomes free from all bondage to fruitive activities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear and Chant for the Lord’s Satisfaction

  1. 1

    A devotee who rises early, chants these prayers with folded hands, and enables others to hear them becomes free from the bondage of fruitive activities.

  2. 2

    Liberation means freedom from the results of fruitive activities and being situated in one’s constitutional position. Bhakti-yoga means acting under the direction of the supreme authority rather than making plans for one’s own happiness.

  3. 3

    Hearing and chanting are activities of the senses and are genuine devotional service. Senses used for personal gratification bind one to karma, while senses used for the Lord’s satisfaction establish one in bhakti.

Key points from the purport
  • Mukti, or liberation, means becoming free from the results of fruitive activities.
  • As long as one’s mind is absorbed in fruitive activities, he has to manufacture plans for happiness.
  • Actually, hearing and chanting are also activities of the senses.

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 4.24.78 quotesSB 2.10.6

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.10.6), muktir hitvānyathā-rūpam svarupeṇa vyavasthitiḥ: mukti means giving up all other activities and being situated in one’s constitutional position.

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 prayer
  2. yaḥa devotee who
  3. kalyeearly in the morning
  4. utthāyaafter getting up from bed
  5. prāñjaliḥwith folded hands
  6. śraddhayāwith faith and devotion
  7. anvitaḥthus being absorbed
  8. śṛṇuyātpersonally chants and hears
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotional service”, “bhakti-yoga”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chants”, “hearing”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “free from”

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 I use my hearing and speech for the Lord’s satisfaction today?

Practice

With folded hands, chant a portion of these prayers aloud today and invite someone willing to listen.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear and Chant for the Lord’s SatisfactionThis 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.

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