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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 31: Nārada Instructs the Pracetās
4.31.224.31.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.31.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.31.23inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

इति प्रचेतसो राजन्नन्याश्च भगवत्कथा: ।

श्रावयित्वा ब्रह्मलोकं ययौ स्वायम्भुवो मुनि: ॥ २३ ॥

maitreya uvāca

iti pracetaso rājann

anyāś ca bhagavat-kathāḥ

śrāvayitvā brahma-lokaṁ

yayau svāyambhuvo muniḥ

Translation

The great sage Maitreya continued: My dear King Vidura, Śrī Nārada Muni, the son of Lord Brahmā, thus described all these relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead to the Pracetās. Afterward, he returned to Brahmaloka.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear About the Lord From Pure Devotees

  1. 1

    One has to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead from a pure devotee.

  2. 2

    The Pracetās received this opportunity from the great sage Nārada. He described the activities of the Lord and His devotees.

  3. 3

    After explaining these relationships with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārada returned to Brahmaloka.

Key points from the purport
  • One has to hear about the Supreme Personality of Godhead from a pure devotee.
  • The Pracetās got this opportunity from the great sage Nārada, who told them of the activities of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His devotees.

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 31: Nārada Instructs the Pracetās

The Pracetās leave home and receive Nārada’s instructions on satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācaMaitreya said
  2. itithus
  3. pracetasaḥthe Pracetās
  4. rājanO King
  5. anyāḥothers
  6. caalso
  7. bhagavat-kathāḥtopics about the relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  8. śrāvayitvāafter instructing
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.31

    In this verse: “king”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.31

    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

How can I give more attention to hearing about the Lord from a pure devotee?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading Śrīla Prabhupāda’s instructions about the Lord and His devotees.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear About the Lord From Pure DevoteesThis 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 4.31.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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