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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
4.31.244.31.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.31.25

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

एतत्तेऽभिहितं क्षत्तर्यन्मां त्वं परिपृष्टवान् ।

प्रचेतसां नारदस्य संवादं हरिकीर्तनम् ॥ २५ ॥

etat te ’bhihitaṁ kṣattar

yan māṁ tvaṁ paripṛṣṭavān

pracetasāṁ nāradasya

saṁvādaṁ hari-kīrtanam

Translation

My dear Vidura, I have told you everything you wanted to know about the conversation between Nārada and the Pracetās, the conversation describing the glories of the Lord. I have related this as far as possible.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Glorifying the Lord Includes His Devotees

  1. 1

    Maitreya answered Vidura’s inquiry by relating the conversation between Nārada and the Pracetās as far as possible.

  2. 2

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the glories of the Lord and His devotees.

  3. 3

    Because its whole subject is the glorification of the Lord, the glorification of His devotees naturally follows.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam describes the glories of the Lord and His devotees.
  • Because the whole subject matter is the glorification of the Lord, naturally the glorification of His devotees automatically follows.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etatthis
  2. teunto you
  3. abhihitaminstructed
  4. kṣattaḥO Vidura
  5. yatwhatever
  6. māmunto me
  7. tvamyou
  8. paripṛṣṭavāninquired
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 4.31

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.31

    In this verse: “glorification”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.31

    In this verse: “inquiry”

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 hearing about the Lord’s devotees deepen my appreciation of Him?

Practice

Write one sentence about how Nārada’s instructions to the Pracetās glorify the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGlorifying the Lord Includes His 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 4.31.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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