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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 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life
4.27.304.28.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.28.1

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.28.1inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraNārada Muni → King PrācīnabarhiThe allegory of King Purañjana → Prācīnabarhi, as listener

नारद उवाच

सैनिका भयनाम्नो ये बर्हिष्मन् दिष्टकारिण: ।

प्रज्वारकालकन्याभ्यां

विचेरुरवनीमिमाम् ॥ १ ॥

nārada uvāca

sainikā bhaya-nāmno ye

barhiṣman diṣṭa-kāriṇaḥ

prajvāra-kāla-kanyābhyāṁ

vicerur avanīm imām

Translation

The great sage Nārada continued: My dear King Prācīnabarhiṣat, afterward the King of the Yavanas, whose name is fear itself, as well as Prajvāra, Kālakanyā, and his soldiers, began to travel all over the world.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Old Age Before It Arrives

  1. 1

    Nārada describes the King of the Yavanas, whose name is fear itself, traveling with Prajvāra, Kālakanyā and his soldiers.

  2. 2

    The purport compares diseases to soldiers under the King of the Yavanas. The period just before death is dangerous because bodily weakness and disease often attack together.

  3. 3

    In youth, a person absorbed in sexual enjoyment may give little thought to old age. The purport warns that such indulgence brings suffering later in life.

Key points from the purport
  • The period of life just prior to death is certainly very dangerous because usually at this time people are attacked by the weakness of old age as well as many kinds of disease.
  • The diseases that attack the body are compared here to soldiers.
  • These soldiers are not ordinary soldiers, for they are guided by the King of the Yavanas, who acts as their commander-in-chief.

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 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life

Purañjana’s city falls; he becomes a woman, and a brāhmaṇa recalls the soul’s forgotten spiritual friendship.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nāradaḥ uvācathe great sage Nārada continued to speak
  2. sainikāḥthe soldiers
  3. bhaya-nāmnaḥof Bhaya (Fear)
  4. yeall of them who
  5. barhiṣmanO King Prācīnabarhiṣat
  6. diṣṭa-kāriṇaḥthe order carriers of death
  7. prajvārawith Prajvāra
  8. kāla-kanyābhyāmand with Kālakanyā
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “fear”, “dangerous”, “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “king”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “suffering”

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 old age change the way I seek enjoyment today?

Practice

Pause before one unnecessary sense indulgence today and consider its long-term cost.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Old Age Before It ArrivesThis 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 4.28.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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