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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 25: The Descriptions of the Characteristics of King Purañjana
4.25.224.25.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.25.23

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

पिशङ्गनीवीं सुश्रोणीं श्यामां कनकमेखलाम् ।

पद्‌भ्यां क्‍वणद्‌भ्यां चलन्तीं नूपुरैर्देवतामिव ॥ २३ ॥

piśaṅga-nīvīṁ suśroṇīṁ

śyāmāṁ kanaka-mekhalām

padbhyāṁ kvaṇadbhyāṁ calantīṁ

nūpurair devatām iva

Translation

The waist and hips of the woman were very beautiful. She was dressed in a yellow sārī with a golden belt. While she walked, her ankle bells rang. She appeared exactly like a denizen of the heavens.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Beauty Can Delight the Mind

  1. 1

    The woman wore a yellow sārī with a golden belt. Her ankle bells rang as she walked.

  2. 2

    Her beautiful appearance made her seem like a denizen of the heavens.

  3. 3

    The purport describes the mind’s joyfulness upon seeing a woman attractively dressed and decorated with ornaments.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse expresses the joyfulness of the mind upon seeing a woman with raised hips and breasts dressed in an attractive sārī and bedecked with ornaments.

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. piśaṅgayellow
  2. nīvīmgarment
  3. su-śroṇīmbeautiful waist
  4. śyāmāmblackish
  5. kanakagolden
  6. mekhalāmbelt
  7. padbhyāmwith the feet
  8. kvaṇadbhyāmtinkling
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

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 much does an attractive appearance influence my mind?

Practice

Today, notice one moment when clothing or ornaments attract your attention, and observe your mind’s response.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBeauty Can Delight the MindThis 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 4.25.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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