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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
4.7.534.7.55

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.7.54

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Lordsince 4.7.54inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्रयाणामेकभावानां यो न पश्यति वै भिदाम् ।

सर्वभूतात्मनां ब्रह्मन् स शान्तिमधिगच्छति ॥ ५४ ॥

trayāṇām eka-bhāvānāṁ

yo na paśyati vai bhidām

sarva-bhūtātmanāṁ brahman

sa śāntim adhigacchati

Translation

The Lord continued: One who does not consider Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śiva or the living entities in general to be separate from the Supreme, and who knows Brahman, actually realizes peace; others do not.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Peace Through Unity in Diversity

  1. 1

    Brahmā, Śiva and Viṣṇu are three and therefore distinct, yet they are also one. This simultaneous oneness and difference is called acintya-bhedābheda-tattva.

  2. 2

    Milk and yogurt illustrate this relationship: yogurt comes from milk but has become changed. Oneness does not remove every distinction.

  3. 3

    Real peace comes from seeing everything in relation to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, with no one independent of Him. Diverse manifestations are one in Viṣṇu because everything expands from His energy.

Key points from the purport
  • Two words are very significant in this verse: trayāṇām indicates “three,” namely Lord Brahmā, Lord Śiva and Lord Viṣṇu; bhidām means “different.”
  • They are three, and therefore they are separate, but at the same time they are one.
  • In order to achieve real peace, one should see everything and every living entity, including Lord Brahmā and Lord Śiva, as nondifferent from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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. trayāṇāmof the three
  2. eka-bhāvānāmhaving one nature
  3. yaḥwho
  4. na paśyatidoes not see
  5. vaicertainly
  6. bhidāmseparateness
  7. sarva-bhūta-ātmanāmof the Supersoul of all living entities
  8. brahmanO Dakṣa
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 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 could recognizing unity without denying differences help you cultivate peace?

Practice

Look at three different things around you and remember that each is a manifestation of Viṣṇu’s energy.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPeace Through Unity in DiversityThis 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.

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