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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
4.6.374.6.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.6.38

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

कृत्वोरौ दक्षिणे सव्यं पादपद्मं च जानुनि ।

बाहुं प्रकोष्ठेऽक्षमालाम् आसीनं तर्कमुद्रया ॥ ३८ ॥

kṛtvorau dakṣiṇe savyaṁ

pāda-padmaṁ ca jānuni

bāhuṁ prakoṣṭhe ’kṣa-mālām

āsīnaṁ tarka-mudrayā

Translation

His left leg was placed on his right thigh, and his left hand was placed on his left thigh. [This sitting posture is called vīrāsana.] In his right hand he held rudrākṣa beads, and his finger was in the mode of argument.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Yoga’s Perfection Goes Beyond Sitting Postures

  1. 1

    Lord Śiva sat in vīrāsana, a posture within the system of aṣṭāṅga-yoga. Yoga includes controlling oneself, following rules and regulations, and practicing sitting postures.

  2. 2

    Practicing āsanas without progressing toward realization of the Supersoul, Viṣṇu, is not the perfectional stage of yoga.

  3. 3

    Lord Śiva is yogīśvara: no one surpasses his yoga practice. Kṛṣṇa is yogeśvara: no one surpasses His yogic perfection.

Key points from the purport
  • The sitting posture described herein is called vīrāsana according to the system of aṣṭāṅga-yoga performances.
  • In the performance of yoga there are eight divisions, such as yama and niyama — controlling, following the rules and regulations, then practicing the sitting postures, etc. Besides vīrāsana there are other sitting postures, such as padmāsana and siddhāsana.
  • Lord Śiva is called yogīśvara, the master of all yogīs, and Kṛṣṇa is called yogeśvara.

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 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛtvāhaving placed
  2. ūrauthigh
  3. dakṣiṇeat the right
  4. savyamthe left
  5. pāda-padmamlotus feet
  6. caand
  7. jānunion his knee
  8. bāhumhand
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

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

Do you think of yoga mainly as bodily practice, or as a path toward realizing the Supersoul?

Practice

Write a reminder that yoga’s perfection is not posture alone, but realization of the Supersoul, Viṣṇu.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYoga’s Perfection Goes Beyond Sitting PosturesThis 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 4.6.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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