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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 28: Purañjana Becomes a Woman in the Next Life
4.28.564.28.58

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.28.57

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇasince 4.28.53inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraNārada Muni → King PrācīnabarhiThe allegory of King Purañjana → Prācīnabarhi, as listener

पञ्चेन्द्रियार्था आरामा द्वार: प्राणा नव प्रभो ।

तेजोऽबन्नानि कोष्ठानि कुलमिन्द्रियसङ्ग्रह: ॥ ५७ ॥

pañcendriyārthā ārāmā

dvāraḥ prāṇā nava prabho

tejo-’b-annāni koṣṭhāni

kulam indriya-saṅgrahaḥ

Translation

My dear friend, the five gardens are the five objects of sense enjoyment, and the protector is the life air, which passes through the nine gates. The three apartments are the chief ingredients — fire, water and earth. The six families are the aggregate total of the mind and five senses.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understanding the City of the Body

  1. 1

    The five gardens represent the five objects of sense enjoyment. Sight, taste, smell, sound and touch are the five senses that acquire knowledge.

  2. 2

    The life air protects the body and passes through its nine gates. These bodily openings are compared to gates in a city's walls.

  3. 3

    Earth, water and fire are the principal bodily ingredients. The mind is the principal actor, controlled by intelligence, and the six families represent the mind and five senses.

Key points from the purport
  • The five senses that acquire knowledge are sight, taste, smell, sound and touch, and these act through the nine gates — the two eyes, two ears, one mouth, two nostrils, the genitals and one rectum.
  • These holes are compared to gates in the walls of the city.
  • The principal ingredients are earth, water and fire, and the principal actor is the mind, which is controlled by the intelligence (buddhi).

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. pañcafive
  2. indriya-arthāḥsense objects
  3. ārāmāḥthe gardens
  4. dvāraḥgates
  5. prāṇāḥapertures of the senses
  6. navanine
  7. prabhoO King
  8. tejaḥ-apfire, water
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “protector”, “protects”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.28

    In this verse: “friend”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 do I notice the mind directing my senses during an ordinary activity?

Practice

During one meal today, notice the activities of taste and smell, and how your mind responds.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUnderstanding the City of the BodyThis 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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