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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
4.30.54.30.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.30.6

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.30.3inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

काशिष्णुना कनकवर्णविभूषणेन

भ्राजत्कपोलवदनो विलसत्किरीट: ।

अष्टायुधैरनुचरैर्मुनिभि: सुरेन्द्रै-

रासेवितो गरुडकिन्नरगीतकीर्ति: ॥ ६ ॥

kāśiṣṇunā kanaka-varṇa-vibhūṣaṇena

bhrājat-kapola-vadano vilasat-kirīṭaḥ

aṣṭāyudhair anucarair munibhiḥ surendrair

āsevito garuḍa-kinnara-gīta-kīrtiḥ

Translation

The Lord’s face was very beautiful, and His head was decorated with a shining helmet and golden ornaments. The helmet was dazzling and was very beautifully situated on His head. The Lord had eight arms, which each held a particular weapon. The Lord was surrounded by demigods, great sages and other associates. These were all engaged in His service. Garuḍa, the carrier of the Lord, glorified the Lord with Vedic hymns by flapping his wings. Garuḍa appeared to be an inhabitant of the planet known as Kinnaraloka.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Personal Lord Is Surrounded by Servants

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu appeared with eight arms holding eight kinds of weapons. Because He is the supreme controller, even the conchshell and lotus in His hands can be considered weapons.

  2. 2

    The Lord is always the Supreme Personality of Godhead, never impersonal. His associates are also persons, and the demigods, sages and others surrounding Him were engaged in His service.

  3. 3

    Garuḍa glorified the Lord with Vedic hymns by flapping his wings. The distinctive features and abilities found on different planets show the beauty of the Lord’s varied creation.

Key points from the purport
  • The inhabitants of the Kinnara planet have the same features as Garuḍa.
  • There is also a planet, known as Siddhaloka, where the inhabitants can fly even without wings.
  • Thus each and every planet has some distinctive facility.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāśiṣṇunāshining
  2. kanakagold
  3. varṇacolored
  4. vibhūṣaṇenawith ornaments
  5. bhrājatshining
  6. kapolaforehead
  7. vadanaḥHis face
  8. vilasatdazzling
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “glorified”

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

What does the service of the Lord’s personal associates teach me about devotion?

Practice

Read aloud one sentence from this translation that glorifies the Lord’s beauty.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Personal Lord Is Surrounded by ServantsThis 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 4.30.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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