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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 30: The Activities of the Pracetās
4.30.314.30.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.30.32

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Pracetāssince 4.30.22inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

पारिजातेऽञ्जसा लब्धे सारङ्गोऽन्यन्न सेवते ।

त्वदङ्‌घ्रिमूलमासाद्य साक्षात्किं किं वृणीमहि ॥ ३२ ॥

pārijāte ’ñjasā labdhe

sāraṅgo ’nyan na sevate

tvad-aṅghri-mūlam āsādya

sākṣāt kiṁ kiṁ vṛṇīmahi

Translation

Dear Lord, when the bee approaches the celestial tree called the pārijāta, it certainly does not leave the tree, because there is no need for such action. Similarly, when we have approached Your lotus feet and taken shelter of them, what further benediction may we ask of You?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Is Complete Shelter

  1. 1

    A bee that reaches the pārijāta tree has an unlimited supply of honey and need not go elsewhere. Similarly, a devotee serving the Lord’s lotus feet needs no further benediction.

  2. 2

    The pārijāta is a wish-fulfilling tree, unlike ordinary trees that yield only particular fruits. The Lord’s lotus feet are compared to such wish-fulfilling trees.

  3. 3

    Being fixed in service to the Lord’s lotus feet brings unlimited transcendental bliss. Devotees, like bumblebees, are always attracted to those feet.

Key points from the purport
  • When a devotee is actually engaged in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord, his engagement in itself is so perfect that there is no need to ask for further benediction.
  • The pārijāta tree is not commonly found within this material world.
  • The pārijāta tree is also known as kalpa-vṛkṣa, or the wish-fulfilling tree.

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. pārijātethe celestial tree known as pārijāta
  2. añjasācompletely
  3. labdhehaving achieved
  4. sāraṅgaḥa bee
  5. anyatother
  6. na sevatedoes not resort to
  7. tvat-aṅghriYour lotus feet
  8. mūlamthe root of everything
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

Can I value devotional service itself as a blessing, rather than a means to obtain something else?

Practice

During one act of devotional service today, thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve without requesting another blessing.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Is Complete ShelterThis 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 4.30.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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