1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
4.30.39-404.30.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.30.41

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

मनु: स्वयम्भूर्भगवान् भवश्च

येऽन्ये तपोज्ञानविशुद्धसत्त्वा: ।

अद‍ृष्टपारा अपि यन्महिम्न:

स्तुवन्त्यथो त्वात्मसमं गृणीम: ॥ ४१ ॥

manuḥ svayambhūr bhagavān bhavaś ca

ye ’nye tapo-jñāna-viśuddha-sattvāḥ

adṛṣṭa-pārā api yan-mahimnaḥ

stuvanty atho tvātma-samaṁ gṛṇīmaḥ

Translation

Dear Lord, even great yogīs and mystics who are very much advanced by virtue of austerities and knowledge and who have completely situated themselves in pure existence, as well as great personalities like Manu, Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, cannot fully understand Your glories and potencies. Nonetheless they have offered their prayers according to their own capacities. In the same way, we, although much lower than these personalities, also offer our prayers according to our own capability.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pray Sincerely According to Your Capacity

  1. 1

    Even Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and great sages cannot fully describe the Lord’s unlimited glories. No one can equal the Supreme Personality of Godhead in knowledge.

  2. 2

    Everyone is a servant of the Supreme Lord and can offer prayers according to their capacity. Our perfection is to glorify Him with heart and soul as far as we can appreciate Him.

  3. 3

    One who takes shelter of the Lord is purified by His grace and the grace of His servant, the spiritual master. Whatever one’s birth, one can become eligible to return home, back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva, Manu (the father of mankind), great saintly persons and also great sages who have elevated themselves to the transcendental platform through austerities and penance, as well as devotional service, are imperfect in knowledge compared to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Thus it is not possible to estimate the complete potencies and glories of the Supreme Lord.
  • Beginning with Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva down to ourselves, everyone is the servant of the Supreme 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 4.30.41 quotesBG 9.32

The Lord therefore says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.32): “O son of Pṛthā, those who take shelter in Me, though they be of lower birth — women, vaiśyas [merchants], as well as śūdras [workers] — can approach the supreme destination.”

The purport of SB 4.30.41 quotesSB 2.4.18

This is confirmed by Śukadeva Gosvāmī: ye ’nye ca pāpā yad-apāśrayāśrayāḥ śudhyanti tasmai prabhaviṣṇave namaḥ.

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. manuḥSvāyambhuva Manu
  2. svayambhūḥLord Brahmā
  3. bhagavānthe most powerful
  4. bhavaḥLord Śiva
  5. caalso
  6. yewho
  7. anyeothers
  8. tapaḥby austerity
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “glorify”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “purified”

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

Does feeling unqualified hold me back from offering heartfelt prayers?

Practice

Offer a short prayer in your own words, expressing whatever you sincerely appreciate about the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPray Sincerely According to Your CapacityThis 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 4.30.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories