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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
4.31.284.31.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.31.29

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 4.31.29inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

विदुर उवाच

सोऽयमद्य महायोगिन् भवता करुणात्मना ।

दर्शितस्तमस: पारो यत्राकिञ्चनगो हरि: ॥ २९ ॥

vidura uvāca

so ’yam adya mahā-yogin

bhavatā karuṇātmanā

darśitas tamasaḥ pāro

yatrākiñcana-go hariḥ

Translation

Śrī Vidura said: O great mystic, O greatest of all devotees, by your causeless mercy I have been shown the path of liberation from this world of darkness. By following this path, a person liberated from the material world can return home, back to Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Mercy Reveals the Path Beyond Darkness

  1. 1

    Vidura thanked Maitreya for mercifully showing him the path of liberation and return to Godhead.

  2. 2

    The material world is called darkness, while the spiritual world is called light. Information about that kingdom of light comes through the mercy of a self-realized soul.

  3. 3

    One must also become free from material desires. Freedom from these desires and association with a liberated person make the path back to Godhead clear.

Key points from the purport
  • This material world is called tamaḥ, dark, and the spiritual world is called light.
  • The Vedas enjoin that everyone should try to get out of the darkness and go to the kingdom of light.
  • As soon as one frees himself from material desires and associates with a liberated person, the path back home, back to Godhead, is clear.

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. viduraḥ uvācaVidura said
  2. saḥthat
  3. ayamthis
  4. adyatoday
  5. mahā-yoginO great mystic
  6. bhavatāby you
  7. karuṇa-ātmanāmost merciful
  8. darśitaḥI have been shown
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.31

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”, “mercifully”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.31

    In this verse: “material”

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

Which material desire distracts me from following spiritual guidance?

Practice

Identify one material desire that distracts you, and spend a few minutes reading spiritual instruction instead of pursuing it today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMercy Reveals the Path Beyond DarknessThis 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 4.31.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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