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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 7: The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa
4.7.344.7.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.7.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Siddhassince 4.7.35inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सिद्धा ऊचु:

अयं त्वत्कथामृष्टपीयूषनद्यां

मनोवारण: क्लेशदावाग्निदग्ध: ।

तृषार्तोऽवगाढो न सस्मार दावं

न निष्क्रामति ब्रह्मसम्पन्नवन्न: ॥ ३५ ॥

siddhā ūcuḥ

ayaṁ tvat-kathā-mṛṣṭa-pīyūṣa-nadyāṁ

mano-vāraṇaḥ kleśa-dāvāgni-dagdhaḥ

tṛṣārto ’vagāḍho na sasmāra dāvaṁ

na niṣkrāmati brahma-sampannavan naḥ

Translation

The Siddhas prayed: Like an elephant that has suffered in a forest fire but can forget all its troubles by entering a river, our minds, O Lord, always merge in the nectarean river of Your transcendental pastimes, and they desire never to leave such transcendental bliss, which is as good as the pleasure of merging in the Absolute.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Find Relief in Hearing the Lord’s Pastimes

  1. 1

    Although the Siddhas possess the eight kinds of yogic perfection, they appear here as pure devotees. They constantly immerse themselves in hearing the Lord’s pastimes, called kṛṣṇa-kathā.

  2. 2

    Hearing these pastimes brings relief from material anxieties, like a river relieving an elephant suffering from a forest fire. Those absorbed in describing the Lord’s pastimes are liberated and free from fear of material life.

  3. 3

    The Siddhas seek happiness in discussing the Lord’s pastimes, not in sacrifices for material results. Kṛṣṇa consciousness is complete and includes all the processes praised in the Vedic scriptures.

Key points from the purport
  • They always merge in the nectarean river of hearing of the pastimes of the Lord.
  • If persons who are suffering in the forest fire of this material existence will only enter into the nectarean river of the description of the pastimes of the Lord, they will forget all the troubles of the miserable material existence.
  • They simply merge in the transcendental discussions of the pastimes of the Lord.

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 7: The Sacrifice Performed by Dakṣa

Lord Śiva is pacified, Dakṣa acknowledges his offense, and Lord Viṣṇu accepts the sacrifice.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. siddhāḥthe Siddhas
  2. ūcuḥprayed
  3. ayamthis
  4. tvat-kathāYour pastimes
  5. mṛṣṭapure
  6. pīyūṣaof nectar
  7. nadyāmin the river
  8. manaḥof the mind
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.7

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.7

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.7

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

Where do I usually seek relief from anxiety, and can I make room for hearing about the Lord?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading or hearing the Lord’s pastimes with your attention gently focused on Him.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.7's connections

Live this todayFind Relief in Hearing the Lord’s PastimesThis 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 4.7.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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