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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
4.30.384.30.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 4.30.39-40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

यन्न: स्वधीतं गुरव: प्रसादिता

विप्राश्च वृद्धाश्च सदानुवृत्त्या ।

आर्या नता: सुहृदो भ्रातरश्च

सर्वाणि भूतान्यनसूययैव ॥ ३९ ॥

यन्न: सुतप्तं तप एतदीश

निरन्धसां कालमदभ्रमप्सु ।

सर्वं तदेतत्पुरुषस्य भूम्नो

वृणीमहे ते परितोषणाय ॥ ४० ॥

yan naḥ svadhītaṁ guravaḥ prasāditā

viprāś ca vṛddhāś ca sad-ānuvṛttyā

āryā natāḥ suhṛdo bhrātaraś ca

sarvāṇi bhūtāny anasūyayaiva

yan naḥ sutaptaṁ tapa etad īśa

nirandhasāṁ kālam adabhram apsu

sarvaṁ tad etat puruṣasya bhūmno

vṛṇīmahe te paritoṣaṇāya

Translation

Dear Lord, we have studied the Vedas, accepted a spiritual master and offered respect to brāhmaṇas, advanced devotees and aged personalities who are spiritually very advanced. We have offered our respects to them, and we have not been envious of any brother, friends or anyone else. We have also undergone severe austerities within the water and have not taken food for a long time. All these spiritual assets of ours are simply offered for Your satisfaction. We pray for this benediction only, and nothing more.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Offer Everything for the Lord’s Satisfaction

  1. 1

    The real perfection of life is pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Whether one’s work is material or spiritual, its purpose should be His satisfaction.

  2. 2

    The Pracetās offered their study, respect for spiritually advanced persons and severe austerities to the Lord. They sought His satisfaction, not material benedictions.

  3. 3

    Those training to become devotees should respect the Lord and those advanced in spiritual knowledge. Genuine advancement means devotion and duty, not boasting.

Key points from the purport
  • They practiced these austerities not for material benediction but for the satisfaction of the Supreme Lord.
  • One may engage in any business — material or spiritual — but the purpose should be the satisfaction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • People training to become devotees should be respectful not only to the Supreme Personality of Godhead but also to those who are elderly in knowledge, who are Āryans and actual devotees of the Lord.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 4.30.39-40 quotesBG 2.2

For instance, in Bhagavad-gītā (2.2) Kṛṣṇa chastised Arjuna by saying that he was speaking like a non-Āryan: “The Supreme Person [Bhagavān] said: My dear Arjuna, how have these impurities come upon you?

The purport of SB 4.30.39-40 quotesBG 9.26

Regarding this, the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.26): “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. yatwhat
  2. naḥby us
  3. svadhītamstudied
  4. guravaḥsuperior persons, spiritual masters
  5. prasāditāḥsatisfied
  6. viprāḥthe brāhmaṇas
  7. caand
  8. vṛddhāḥthose who are elderly
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”, “devotion”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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 something for myself through spiritual practice, or seeking the Lord’s satisfaction?

Practice

Before one duty today, pause and pray that your effort may satisfy the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOffer Everything for the Lord’s SatisfactionThis 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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