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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
4.28.214.28.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.28.22

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Purañjanasince 4.28.21inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraNārada Muni → King PrācīnabarhiThe allegory of King Purañjana → Prācīnabarhi, as listener

एवं कृपणया बुद्ध्या शोचन्तमतदर्हणम् ।

ग्रहीतुं कृतधीरेनं भयनामाभ्यपद्यत ॥ २२ ॥

evaṁ kṛpaṇayā buddhyā

śocantam atad-arhaṇam

grahītuṁ kṛta-dhīr enaṁ

bhaya-nāmābhyapadyata

Translation

Although King Purañjana should not have lamented over the fate of his wife and children, he nonetheless did so due to his miserly intelligence. In the meantime, Yavana-rāja, whose name was fear itself, immediately drew near to arrest him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter to Conquer Death

  1. 1

    Every individual soul is responsible for his own actions and reactions. Parents should teach their children the values of life, but cannot protect them after their own death.

  2. 2

    Death did not wait while Purañjana worried about his family. Human life should not be wasted in material welfare alone, neglecting spiritual progress.

  3. 3

    One cannot conquer death without taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One who truly knows Lord Kṛṣṇa's transcendental appearance and activities returns to Him rather than accepting another material body.

Key points from the purport
  • The parent, after his death, cannot help his child.
  • Although King Purañjana was engaged in thinking of his wife and children, death did not wait for him.
  • Death does not wait for any man; it will immediately carry out its duty.

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 4.28.22 quotesBG 4.9

Lord Kṛṣṇa states the process of conquering death in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9): “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

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 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. evamthus
  2. kṛpaṇayāby miserly
  3. buddhyāintelligence
  4. śocantamlamenting
  5. a-tat-arhaṇamon which he should not have lamented
  6. grahītumin order to arrest
  7. kṛta-dhīḥthe determined King of the Yavanas
  8. enamhim
  9. bhaya-nāmāwhose name was fear
  10. abhyapadyatacame there immediately
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “fear”, “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “children”

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 fulfill my responsibilities without neglecting my own spiritual progress?

Practice

Reserve five minutes today to study the teaching here about Lord Kṛṣṇa's appearance and activities.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTake Shelter to Conquer DeathThis 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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