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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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 5: Frustration of the Sacrifice of Dakṣa
4.4.344.5.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.5.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.5.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura
A turning point forSatī· Śiva’s grief and fury

मैत्रेय उवाच

भवो भवान्या निधनं प्रजापते-

रसत्कृताया अवगम्य नारदात् ।

स्वपार्षदसैन्यं च तदध्वरर्भुभि-

र्विद्रावितं क्रोधमपारमादधे ॥ १ ॥

maitreya uvāca

bhavo bhavānyā nidhanaṁ prajāpater

asat-kṛtāyā avagamya nāradāt

sva-pārṣada-sainyaṁ ca tad-adhvararbhubhir

vidrāvitaṁ krodham apāram ādadhe

Translation

Maitreya said: When Lord Śiva heard from Nārada that Satī, his wife, was now dead because of Prajāpati Dakṣa’s insult to her and that his soldiers had been driven away by the Ṛbhu demigods, he became greatly angry.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Even Great Power Acts Under Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva hoped that Satī could explain his purity of purpose and lessen Dakṣa’s misunderstanding. Instead, Dakṣa deliberately insulted her by not receiving her properly.

  2. 2

    Satī is the personified material energy, with immense power to create and destroy. Yet she acts like a shadow under the direction of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Nārada brought news of Satī’s death and the defeat of Lord Śiva’s soldiers. Hearing this, Lord Śiva became exceedingly angry and decided to punish Dakṣa.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Śiva understood that Satī, being the youngest daughter of Dakṣa, could present the case of Lord Śiva’s purity of purpose and would thus be able to mitigate the misunderstanding between Dakṣa and himself.
  • When Lord Śiva heard that his chaste wife, Satī, was dead, he naturally became exceedingly angry.
  • Therefore he wanted to reply to this insult, and thus he decided to kill Dakṣa because he was the cause of the death of Satī.

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

Humiliation and anger → Reconciliation. Relational offense leads to grief and destruction before restoration.

Chapters 1–7 of Canto 4: Dakṣa, Satī and Śiva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Frustration of the Sacrifice of Dakṣa

Lord Śiva’s soldiers destroy Dakṣa’s sacrificial arena, and Vīrabhadra beheads Dakṣa.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācaMaitreya said
  2. bhavaḥLord Śiva
  3. bhavānyāḥof Satī
  4. nidhanamthe death
  5. prajāpateḥbecause of Prajāpati Dakṣa
  6. asat-kṛtāyāḥhaving been insulted
  7. avagamyahearing about
  8. nāradātfrom Nārada
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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 4.5

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.5

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.5

    In this verse: “death”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does Satī’s dependence on Kṛṣṇa shape my understanding of power?

Practice

Take a moment today to remember that even immense material power acts under Kṛṣṇa’s direction.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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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 4.5's connections

Live this todayEven Great Power Acts Under KṛṣṇaThis 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 4.5.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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