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 25: The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Purañjana
4.25.194.25.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.25.20

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.25.7inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraNārada Muni → King PrācīnabarhiThe allegory of King Purañjana → Prācīnabarhi, as listener

यद‍ृच्छयागतां तत्र ददर्श प्रमदोत्तमाम् ।

भृत्यैर्दशभिरायान्तीमेकैकशतनायकै: ॥ २० ॥

yadṛcchayāgatāṁ tatra

dadarśa pramadottamām

bhṛtyair daśabhir āyāntīm

ekaika-śata-nāyakaiḥ

Translation

While wandering here and there in that wonderful garden, King Purañjana suddenly came in contact with a very beautiful woman who was walking there without any engagement. She had ten servants with her, and each servant had hundreds of wives accompanying him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Intelligence Directs Mind and Senses

  1. 1

    During youth, awakened sexual desire draws intelligence and imagination toward the opposite sex. This search can occur inwardly even without direct contact.

  2. 2

    Intelligence influences the mind, and the mind controls the ten senses. Five senses gather knowledge, while five perform actions.

  3. 3

    Each sense has many desires to fulfill, represented by the servants' many wives. Purañjana represents the owner who resides within the body.

Key points from the purport
  • The body has already been compared to a beautiful garden.
  • During youth the sex impulse is awakened, and the intelligence, according to one’s imagination, is prone to contact the opposite sex.
  • In youth a man or woman is in search of the opposite sex by intelligence or imagination, if not directly.

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 25: The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Purañjana

Nārada’s allegory introduces Purañjana, his search for enjoyment, and his attraction to a woman.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.25
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yadṛcchayāall of a sudden, without engagement
  2. āgatāmarrived
  3. tatrathere
  4. dadarśahe saw
  5. pramadāone woman
  6. uttamāmvery beautiful
  7. bhṛtyaiḥsurrounded by servants
  8. daśabhiḥten
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.25

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.25

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 is my imagination influencing what my senses seek?

Practice

Notice one desire today and trace how a thought leads the mind toward a sensory action.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayIntelligence Directs Mind and SensesThis 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 4.25.20? 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