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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

4.5.12 4.5.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.5.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Conjecturing on the origin of the storm, theysince 4.5.8inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तावत्स रुद्रानुचरैर्महामखो

नानायुधैर्वामनकैरुदायुधै: ।

पिङ्गै: पिशङ्गैर्मकरोदराननै:

पर्याद्रवद्‌भिर्विदुरान्वरुध्यत ॥ १३ ॥

tāvat sa rudrānucarair mahā-makho

nānāyudhair vāmanakair udāyudhaiḥ

piṅgaiḥ piśaṅgair makarodarānanaiḥ

paryādravadbhir vidurānvarudhyata

Translation

My dear Vidura, all the followers of Lord Śiva surrounded the arena of sacrifice. They were of short stature and were equipped with various kinds of weapons; their bodies appeared to be like those of sharks, blackish and yellowish. They ran all around the sacrificial arena and thus began to create disturbances.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Sacrificial Arena Is Surrounded

1
The followers of Lord Śiva surrounded the arena of sacrifice.
2
They were short, carried various weapons, and had blackish and yellowish bodies resembling sharks.
3
They ran throughout the sacrificial arena and began creating disturbances.

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tāvatvery quickly
saḥthat
rudra-anucaraiḥby the followers of Lord Śiva
mahā-makhaḥthe arena of the great sacrifice
nānāvarious kinds
āyudhaiḥwith weapons
vāmanakaiḥof short stature
udāyudhaiḥupraised

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to me about the disturbance entering this place of sacrifice?

Practice

Reread the translation and identify the three actions of Lord Śiva’s followers: surrounding, running, and disturbing.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Sacrificial Arena Is SurroundedThis 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 4.5.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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