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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
4.31.294.31.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.31.30

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 4.31.30inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

इत्यानम्य तमामन्‍त्र्य विदुरो गजसाह्वयम् ।

स्वानां दिद‍ृक्षु: प्रययौ ज्ञातीनां निर्वृताशय: ॥ ३० ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

ity ānamya tam āmantrya

viduro gajasāhvayam

svānāṁ didṛkṣuḥ prayayau

jñātīnāṁ nirvṛtāśayaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Vidura thus offered obeisances unto the great sage Maitreya and, taking his permission, started for the city of Hastināpura to see his own kinsmen, although he had no material desires.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Care for Relatives Without Material Desire

  1. 1

    Vidura offered obeisances to Maitreya and took his permission before leaving for Hastināpura to see his relatives.

  2. 2

    A saintly person visits relatives not for material satisfaction, but to offer instructions for their benefit.

  3. 3

    Vidura wanted to see his elder brother, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, to help deliver him from the clutches of māyā. His concern was spiritual, without material desire.

Key points from the purport
  • When a saintly person wants to see his kinsmen, he has no material desire to see them.
  • When a great saintly person like Vidura sees his relatives, he desires only to deliver them from the clutches of māyā.
  • Vidura thus offered his respectful obeisances to his spiritual master and departed for the city of Hastināpura, the kingdom of the Kauravas.

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. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. itithus
  3. ānamyaoffering obeisances
  4. tamunto Maitreya
  5. āmantryataking permission
  6. viduraḥVidura
  7. gaja-sāhvayamthe city of Hastināpura
  8. svānāmown
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”, “māyā”

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

When I approach my relatives, am I seeking something for myself or considering their spiritual benefit?

Practice

Before speaking with a relative today, pause and consider how to support their spiritual well-being without seeking personal gain.

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 4.31's connections

Live this todayCare for Relatives Without Material DesireThis 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 4.31.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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