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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
4.28.394.28.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.28.40

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

स व्यापकतयात्मानं व्यतिरिक्ततयात्मनि ।

विद्वान् स्वप्न इवामर्शसाक्षिणं विरराम ह ॥ ४० ॥

sa vyāpakatayātmānaṁ

vyatiriktatayātmani

vidvān svapna ivāmarśa-

sākṣiṇaṁ virarāma ha

Translation

King Malayadhvaja attained perfect knowledge by being able to distinguish the Supersoul from the individual soul. The individual soul is localized, whereas the Supersoul is all-pervasive. He became perfect in knowledge that the material body is not the soul but that the soul is the witness of the material body.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Distinguish Body, Soul and Supersoul

  1. 1

    The material body is made of the Lord’s external energy; it is not the soul. Malayadhvaja clearly understood this distinction.

  2. 2

    The individual soul is localized in one body, while the Supersoul is present in every body. The Supreme Personality of Godhead remains distinct from the individual soul.

  3. 3

    The body is a field in which the individual soul works and experiences the fruits of activity. The Supersoul witnesses these activities without enjoying their fruits.

Key points from the purport
  • The conditioned soul is often frustrated in trying to understand the distinctions between the material body, the Supersoul and the individual soul.
  • The Supersoul is present in every field of activity, whereas the individual soul is present in his one localized body.
  • King Malayadhvaja attained this perfection of knowledge and was able to distinguish between the soul and the Supersoul and the soul and the material body.

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 4.28.40 quotesBG 13.3

As Lord Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (13.3): “O scion of Bharata, you should understand that I am also the knower in all bodies, and to understand this body and its owner is called knowledge.

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. saḥKing Malayadhvaja
  2. vyāpakatayāby all-pervasiveness
  3. ātmānamthe Supersoul
  4. vyatiriktatayāby differentiation
  5. ātmaniin his own self
  6. vidvānperfectly educated
  7. svapnein a dream
  8. ivalike
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • 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

How does distinguishing myself from my body change my understanding of who I am?

Practice

Write down the three distinctions: the body is the field, the individual soul works in it, and the Supersoul witnesses.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDistinguish Body, Soul and SupersoulThis 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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