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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
4.28.35-364.28.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.28.37

Mukti· Liberation
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

शीतोष्णवातवर्षाणि क्षुत्पिपासे प्रियाप्रिये ।

सुखदु:खे इति द्वन्द्वान्यजयत्समदर्शन: ॥ ३७ ॥

śītoṣṇa-vāta-varṣāṇi

kṣut-pipāse priyāpriye

sukha-duḥkhe iti dvandvāny

ajayat sama-darśanaḥ

Translation

Through austerity, King Malayadhvaja in body and mind gradually became equal to the dualities of cold and heat, happiness and distress, wind and rain, hunger and thirst, the pleasant and the unpleasant. In this way he conquered all relativities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Transcend Dualities Through Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Malayadhvaja gradually became steady amid heat and cold, happiness and distress, and the pleasant and unpleasant. Kṛṣṇa advises tolerating these changing conditions without becoming disturbed.

  2. 2

    Severe forest austerities are almost impossible in this age, so the purport recommends bhakti-yoga. With transcendental Kṛṣṇa at the center, steady service to Him frees one from life’s dualities.

  3. 3

    Sincere devotional service brings control of the senses. Even if practice is interrupted, its benefit is not lost; one can resume from the point where one left off.

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā Lord Kṛṣṇa advises Arjuna to conquer all relativities through tolerance.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa points out that it is the relativities like winter and summer that give us trouble in the material world.
  • Thus Kṛṣṇa advises us not to be disturbed by such relativities and dualities when they come and go.

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 4.28.37 quotesBG 14.26

Thus in order to transcend dualities, one must always engage in the service of the Lord, as confirmed by Bhagavad-gītā (14.26): “One who engages in full devotional service, who does not fall down in any circumstance, at once transcends the modes of material nature and thus comes to the level of Brahman.”

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. śītacold
  2. uṣṇaheat
  3. vātawind
  4. varṣāṇiand rainy seasons
  5. kṣuthunger
  6. pipāseand thirst
  7. priyapleasant
  8. apriyeand unpleasant
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 4.28

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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “king”

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

Which changing circumstance most often disturbs my devotional practice?

Practice

When a minor inconvenience arises today, practice patience and continue one small act of devotional service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTranscend Dualities Through Devotional ServiceThis 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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