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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
4.3.44.3.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 4.3.5-7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.3.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तदुपश्रुत्य नभसि खेचराणां प्रजल्पताम् ।

सती दाक्षायणी देवी पितृयज्ञमहोत्सवम् ॥ ५ ॥

व्रजन्ती: सर्वतो दिग्भ्य उपदेववरस्त्रिय: ।

विमानयाना: सप्रेष्ठा निष्ककण्ठी: सुवासस: ॥ ६ ॥

दृष्ट्वा स्वनिलयाभ्याशे लोलाक्षीर्मृष्टकुण्डला: ।

पतिं भूतपतिं देवमौत्सुक्यादभ्यभाषत ॥ ७ ॥

tad upaśrutya nabhasi

khe-carāṇāṁ prajalpatām

satī dākṣāyaṇī devī

pitṛ-yajña-mahotsavam

vrajantīḥ sarvato digbhya

upadeva-vara-striyaḥ

vimāna-yānāḥ sa-preṣṭhā

niṣka-kaṇṭhīḥ suvāsasaḥ

dṛṣṭvā sva-nilayābhyāśe

lolākṣīr mṛṣṭa-kuṇḍalāḥ

patiṁ bhūta-patiṁ devam

autsukyād abhyabhāṣata

Translation

The chaste lady Satī, the daughter of Dakṣa, heard the heavenly denizens flying in the sky conversing about the great sacrifice being performed by her father. When she saw that from all directions the beautiful wives of the heavenly denizens, their eyes very beautifully glittering, were near her residence and were going to the sacrifice dressed in fine clothing and ornamented with earrings and necklaces with lockets, she approached her husband, the master of the bhūtas, in great anxiety, and spoke as follows.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seeing Others Awakened Satī’s Desire

  1. 1

    Satī heard heavenly travelers discussing her father’s great sacrifice as they passed near her residence. The purport suggests that Lord Śiva’s residence was somewhere in outer space.

  2. 2

    Satī is called Dākṣāyaṇī because she was Dakṣa’s daughter. Among the travelers were Gandharvas, Kinnaras and Uragas, beings situated between demigods and human beings.

  3. 3

    Seeing the beautifully dressed women traveling with their husbands impelled Satī to dress similarly and attend with her husband. In great anxiety, she approached him to speak.

Key points from the purport
  • It appears that the residence of Lord Śiva was not on this planet but somewhere in outer space; otherwise how could Satī have seen the airplanes coming from different directions towards this planet and heard the passengers talking about the great sacrifice being performed by Dakṣa?
  • Satī is described here as Dākṣāyaṇī because she was the daughter of Dakṣa.
  • Thus they looked so beautiful that Satī, Dākṣāyaṇī, was impelled to dress similarly and go to the sacrifice with her husband.

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. tatthen
  2. upaśrutyahearing
  3. nabhasiin the sky
  4. khe-carāṇāmof those who were flying in the air (the Gandharvas)
  5. prajalpatāmthe conversation
  6. satīSatī
  7. dākṣāyaṇīthe daughter of Dakṣa
  8. devīthe wife of Śiva
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “father”, “father’s”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.3

    In this verse: “heard”

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

What desires arise in me when I see others preparing for an attractive event?

Practice

Notice one desire stirred by seeing others today, and name it before acting on it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeeing Others Awakened Satī’s DesireThis 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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