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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
4.30.484.30.50-51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.30.49

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.30.43inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

चाक्षुषे त्वन्तरे प्राप्ते प्राक्सर्गे कालविद्रुते ।

य: ससर्ज प्रजा इष्टा: स दक्षो दैवचोदित: ॥ ४९ ॥

cākṣuṣe tv antare prāpte

prāk-sarge kāla-vidrute

yaḥ sasarja prajā iṣṭāḥ

sa dakṣo daiva-coditaḥ

Translation

His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Even Long Lives Depend on Supreme Will

  1. 1

    Although his previous body had been destroyed, the same Dakṣa created the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara, inspired by the supreme will.

  2. 2

    One day of Brahmā contains fourteen manvantaras; Cākṣuṣa is the sixth. Even these long life spans end under the laws of material nature, and the Manus come and go by the breathing of Mahā-Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    Dakṣa’s prayers to Lord Śiva made him eligible to regain his former opulence. After severe penances through the fifth manvantara, he regained it at the beginning of the sixth by Lord Śiva’s blessings.

Key points from the purport
  • In that one day there are fourteen manvantaras, and out of these manvantaras this Cākṣuṣa manvantara is the sixth.
  • Thus there are fourteen Manus in one day of Brahmā.
  • Thus at the beginning of the sixth manvantara, known as the Cākṣuṣa manvantara, Dakṣa regained his former opulence by the blessings of Lord Śiva.

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 4.30.49 quotesBG 8.17

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (8.17): “By human calculation, a thousand ages taken together is the duration of Brahmā’s one day.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.4.17

“His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara.”

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. cākṣuṣenamed Cākṣuṣa
  2. tubut
  3. antarethe manvantara
  4. prāptewhen it happened
  5. prākprevious
  6. sargecreation
  7. kāla-vidrutedestroyed in due course of time
  8. yaḥone who
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.30

    In this verse: “blessings”

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

How does knowing that even these vast life spans end change my view of my own time and possessions?

Practice

Today, reread the passage about Mahā-Viṣṇu and pause to reflect on how even the longest material lives depend on Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.30's connections

Live this todayEven Long Lives Depend on Supreme WillThis 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 4.30.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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