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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 6: Brahmā Satisfies Lord Śiva
4.6.444.6.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.6.45

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 4.6.42inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्वं कर्मणां मङ्गल मङ्गलानां

कर्तु: स्वलोकं तनुषे स्व: परं वा ।

अमङ्गलानां च तमिस्रमुल्बणं

विपर्यय: केन तदेव कस्यचित् ॥ ४५ ॥

tvaṁ karmaṇāṁ maṅgala maṅgalānāṁ

kartuḥ sva-lokaṁ tanuṣe svaḥ paraṁ vā

amaṅgalānāṁ ca tamisram ulbaṇaṁ

viparyayaḥ kena tad eva kasyacit

Translation

O most auspicious lord, you have ordained the heavenly planets, the spiritual Vaikuṇṭha planets and the impersonal Brahman sphere as the respective destinations of the performers of auspicious activities. Similarly, for others, who are miscreants, you have destined different kinds of hells which are horrible and ghastly. Yet sometimes it is found that their destinations are just the opposite. It is very difficult to ascertain the cause of this.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Accept the Lord's Will With Devotion

  1. 1

    Everything happens by the supreme will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Although actions generally lead to corresponding destinations, His will is the ultimate judgment.

  2. 2

    Ajāmila received promotion to Vaikuṇṭhaloka by chanting Nārāyaṇa's name despite his sinful past. Dakṣa, though engaged in sacrifices, suffered severely because of his misunderstanding with Lord Śiva.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee accepts the Lord's will as all-auspicious, even in calamity, and offers still more devotional service. Such a devotee is assured of promotion to the spiritual world.

Key points from the purport
  • Generally it is prescribed that performers of pious activities are promoted to the higher planetary systems, devotees are promoted to the Vaikuṇṭhas, or spiritual worlds, and impersonal speculators are promoted to the impersonal Brahman effulgence; but it sometimes so happens that a miscreant like Ajāmila is immediately promoted to the Vaikuṇṭhaloka simply by chanting the name of Nārāyaṇa.
  • A pure devotee therefore submits in all circumstances to the supreme will of the Lord, accepting it as all-auspicious.
  • The purport of this verse is that when a devotee is in a calamitous condition he takes it as a benediction of the Supreme Lord and takes responsibility himself for his past misdeeds.

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 4.6.45 quotesSB 10.14.8

jīveta yo mukti-pade sa dāya-bhāk. The purport of this verse is that when a devotee is in a calamitous condition he takes it as a benediction of the Supreme Lord and takes responsibility himself for his past misdeeds.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYour Lordship
  2. karmaṇāmof the prescribed duties
  3. maṅgalaO most auspicious
  4. maṅgalānāmof the auspicious
  5. kartuḥof the performer
  6. sva-lokamrespective higher planetary systems
  7. tanuṣeexpand
  8. svaḥheavenly planets
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.6

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.6

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.6

    In this verse: “chanting”

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 circumstances disappoint you, how might you continue devotional service with trust?

Practice

In one difficulty today, offer a respectful prayer to the Lord and continue one small act of devotional service.

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.

The purport quotesSB 10.14.8

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.6's connections

Live this todayAccept the Lord's Will With DevotionThis 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 4.6.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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