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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 3: Talks Between Lord Śiva and Satī
4.3.184.3.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.3.19

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Śivasince 4.3.19inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तथारिभिर्न व्यथते शिलीमुखै:

शेतेऽर्दिताङ्गो हृदयेन दूयता ।

स्वानां यथा वक्रधियां दुरुक्तिभि-

र्दिवानिशं तप्यति मर्मताडित: ॥ १९ ॥

tathāribhir na vyathate śilīmukhaiḥ

śete ’rditāṅgo hṛdayena dūyatā

svānāṁ yathā vakra-dhiyāṁ duruktibhir

divā-niśaṁ tapyati marma-tāḍitaḥ

Translation

Lord Śiva continued: If one is hurt by the arrows of an enemy, one is not as aggrieved as when cut by the unkind words of a relative, for such grief continues to rend one’s heart day and night.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Unkind Words Can Wound Deeply

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva explains that a relative’s unkind words can cause greater grief than an enemy’s arrows.

  2. 2

    Harm from an enemy is expected, but hurtful words from relatives can trouble the heart day and night.

  3. 3

    Satī might have thought she could tolerate her father’s reproaches. Lord Śiva warns her not to underestimate the depth of that pain.

Key points from the purport
  • Satī might have concluded that she would take the risk of going to her father’s house and even if her father spoke unkindly against her she would be tolerant, as a son sometimes tolerates the reproaches of his parents.

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

Humiliation and anger → Reconciliation. Relational offense leads to grief and destruction before restoration.

Chapters 1–7 of Canto 4: Dakṣa, Satī and Śiva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Talks Between Lord Śiva and Satī

Satī wishes to attend her father’s sacrifice; Lord Śiva warns her about envy and hurtful words.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāso
  2. aribhiḥenemy
  3. nanot
  4. vyathateis hurt
  5. śilīmukhaiḥby the arrows
  6. śeterests
  7. arditaaggrieved
  8. aṅgaḥa part
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.3

    In this verse: “father’s”

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

Do I recognize how deeply my words may affect those closest to me?

Practice

Before speaking to a relative today, replace one harsh phrase with a gentle, truthful one.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUnkind Words Can Wound DeeplyThis 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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