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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest
4.8.164.8.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.17

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.8.14inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

दीर्घं श्वसन्ती वृजिनस्य पार-

मपश्यती बालकमाह बाला ।

मामङ्गलं तात परेषु मंस्था

भुङ्क्ते जनो यत्परदु:खदस्तत् ॥ १७ ॥

dīrghaṁ śvasantī vṛjinasya pāram

apaśyatī bālakam āha bālā

māmaṅgalaṁ tāta pareṣu maṁsthā

bhuṅkte jano yat para-duḥkhadas tat

Translation

She also was breathing very heavily, and she did not know the factual remedy for the painful situation. Not finding any remedy, she said to her son: My dear son, don’t wish for anything inauspicious for others. Anyone who inflicts pains upon others suffers himself from that pain.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Do Not Wish Harm Upon Others

  1. 1

    Sunīti was breathing heavily and could not find a remedy for the painful situation.

  2. 2

    Even in her distress, she told her son not to wish anything inauspicious for others.

  3. 3

    She explained that anyone who inflicts pain on others suffers from that pain himself.

How it feels

Rejection → Transformed aspiration. A child's wounded pride is purified by divine encounter.

Chapters 8–12 of Canto 4: Dhruva seeks and encounters the Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest

Dhruva leaves home, receives Nārada’s instructions, and worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead with austerity.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dīrghamheavy
  2. śvasantībreathing
  3. vṛjinasyaof the danger
  4. pāramlimitation
  5. apaśyatīwithout finding
  6. bālakamto her son
  7. āhasaid
  8. bālāthe lady
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “distress”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I am hurt, do I begin wishing harm upon the person who hurt me?

Practice

If a wish for revenge arises today, pause and deliberately give up the wish to cause pain.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDo Not Wish Harm Upon OthersThis 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 4.8.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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