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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 30: The Activities of the Pracetās
4.30.14.30.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.30.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 4.30.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

किं बार्हस्पत्येह परत्र वाथ

कैवल्यनाथप्रियपार्श्ववर्तिन: ।

आसाद्य देवं गिरिशं यद‍ृच्छया

प्रापु: परं नूनमथ प्रचेतस: ॥ २ ॥

kiṁ bārhaspatyeha paratra vātha

kaivalya-nātha-priya-pārśva-vartinaḥ

āsādya devaṁ giriśaṁ yadṛcchayā

prāpuḥ paraṁ nūnam atha pracetasaḥ

Translation

My dear Bārhaspatya, what did the sons of King Barhiṣat, known as the Pracetās, obtain after meeting Lord Śiva, who is very dear to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the bestower of liberation? Certainly they were transferred to the spiritual world, but apart from that, what did they obtain within this material world, either in this life or in other lives?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Devotion Goes Beyond Material Happiness

  1. 1

    Material happiness and distress may come in this life or the next, on this planet or another. The living entity wanders through many species and planetary systems.

  2. 2

    Although Lord Śiva can bestow material happiness, he instructed the Pracetās to worship the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By chanting his prayers to Viṣṇu, they attained the spiritual world.

  3. 3

    The Lord may arrange material enjoyment for devotees who still desire it before they enter the spiritual world. A pure devotee desires no material happiness and is transferred directly to Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually, Lord Mahādeva (Śiva) is one of the great demigods within this material world.
  • Generally people prefer to become devotees of Lord Giriśa to obtain material happiness, but the Pracetās met Lord Mahādeva by providential arrangement.
  • Sometimes devotees desire to enjoy material happiness also; therefore, by the arrangement of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the devotee is given a chance to enjoy the material world before his final entrance into the spiritual world.

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

Search → Devotional resolution. Prayer and instruction redirect household and societal life.

Chapters 30–31 of Canto 4: Pracetās and Nārada's concluding guidance. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 30: The Activities of the Pracetās

The Lord appears to the Pracetās, who pray only for His satisfaction; Brahmā later pacifies them.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kimwhat
  2. bārhaspatyaO disciple of Bṛhaspati
  3. ihahere
  4. paratrain different planets
  5. vāor
  6. athaas such
  7. kaivalya-nāthato the bestower of liberation
  8. priyadear
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “devotees”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.30

    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

Am I seeking material benefits through worship, or seeking to serve the Lord?

Practice

Offer a short prayer asking for devotion to the Supreme Personality of Godhead rather than material happiness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Devotion Goes Beyond Material HappinessThis 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 4.30.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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