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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 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest
4.8.34.8.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.4

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.8.3inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

दुरुक्तौ कलिराधत्त भयं मृत्युं च सत्तम ।

तयोश्च मिथुनं जज्ञे यातना निरयस्तथा ॥ ४ ॥

duruktau kalir ādhatta

bhayaṁ mṛtyuṁ ca sattama

tayoś ca mithunaṁ jajñe

yātanā nirayas tathā

Translation

O greatest of all good men, by the combination of Kali and Harsh Speech were born children named Mṛtyu (Death) and Bhīti (Fear). From the combination of Mṛtyu and Bhīti came children named Yātanā (Excessive Pain) and Niraya (Hell).

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.

A Lineage of Fear and Suffering

  1. 1

    Kali and Harsh Speech produced Mṛtyu, or Death, and Bhīti, or Fear.

  2. 2

    From Mṛtyu and Bhīti came Yātanā, or Excessive Pain.

  3. 3

    Niraya, or Hell, was also born from their combination.

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. duruktauin Durukti
  2. kaliḥKali
  3. ādhattaproduced
  4. bhayamFearfulness
  5. mṛtyumDeath
  6. caand
  7. sat-tamaO greatest of all good men
  8. tayoḥof those two
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “fear”, “death”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “children”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description affect the seriousness with which I regard harsh speech?

Practice

Read the description slowly once today, reflecting on the suffering named in this lineage.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Lineage of Fear and SufferingThis 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 4.8.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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