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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 6: Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva
4.6.1-24.6.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.6.3

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

उपलभ्य पुरैवैतद्भगवानब्जसम्भव: ।

नारायणश्च विश्वात्मा न कस्याध्वरमीयतु: ॥ ३ ॥

upalabhya puraivaitad

bhagavān abja-sambhavaḥ

nārāyaṇaś ca viśvātmā

na kasyādhvaram īyatuḥ

Translation

Both Lord Brahmā and Viṣṇu had already known that such events would occur in the sacrificial arena of Dakṣa, and knowing beforehand, they did not go to the sacrifice.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Lord Viṣṇu Knows Past and Future

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu is omniscient: He knows everything that has happened and everything that will happen.

  2. 2

    Lord Brahmā and Viṣṇu already knew what would occur in Dakṣa’s sacrificial arena.

  3. 3

    Knowing beforehand, neither Nārāyaṇa nor Lord Brahmā attended Dakṣa’s sacrifice.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord says, “I know everything that has happened in the past and is going to happen in the future.”
  • Lord Viṣṇu is omniscient, and He therefore knew what would happen at Dakṣa’s sacrificial arena.
  • For this reason neither Nārāyaṇa nor Lord Brahmā attended the great sacrifice performed by Dakṣa.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 4.6.3 quotesBG 7.26

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (7.26), vedāhaṁ samatītāni vartamānāni cārjuna.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 6: Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva

Brahmā and the demigods approach Lord Śiva, asking him to show mercy.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.6
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. upalabhyaknowing
  2. purābeforehand
  3. evacertainly
  4. etatall these events of Dakṣa’s sacrifice
  5. bhagavānthe possessor of all opulences
  6. abja-sambhavaḥborn from a lotus flower (Lord Brahmā)
  7. nārāyaṇaḥNārāyaṇa
  8. caand
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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

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 remembering the Lord’s complete knowledge affect my trust in Him?

Practice

Pause today and reflect on the Lord’s statement that He knows the past and the future.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLord Viṣṇu Knows Past and FutureThis 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 4.6.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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