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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 5 · Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata
5.1.395.1.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.1.40

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kingsince 5.1.37inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

भूसंस्थानं कृतं येन सरिद्ग‍िरिवनादिभि: । सीमा च भूतनिर्वृत्यै द्वीपे द्वीपे विभागश: ॥ ४० ॥

bhū-saṁsthānaṁ kṛtaṁ yena

sarid-giri-vanādibhiḥ

sīmā ca bhūta-nirvṛtyai

dvīpe dvīpe vibhāgaśaḥ

Translation

“To stop the quarreling among different peoples, Mahārāja Priyavrata marked boundaries at rivers and at the edges of mountains and forests so that no one would trespass upon another’s property.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Peace Requires More Than Boundaries

  1. 1

    Priyavrata marked boundaries with rivers, mountains and forests to prevent trespassing and quarrels. His divisions were intended to help people live peacefully without clashing.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that one’s material situation follows one’s karma and association with the modes of nature. Bodily circumstances alone do not establish the highest standard of life.

  3. 3

    For harmony and peace, people must take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Remaining absorbed in the bodily concept of life prevents them from reaching that highest standard.

Key points from the purport
  • The example set by Mahārāja Priyavrata in marking off different states is still followed.
  • As indicated here, different classes of men are destined to live in different areas, and therefore the boundaries of various tracts of land, which are described here as islands, should be defined by different rivers, forests and hills.
  • Mahārāja Priyavrata divided the surface of the globe into different islands so that each class of men would live peacefully and not clash with the others.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Activities of Mahārāja Priyavrata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

All of them were elevated to the post of Manu. Śukadeva Gosvāmī thus described how Mahārāja Priyavrata achieved liberation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhū-saṁsthānamthe situation of the earth
  2. kṛtamdone
  3. yenaby whom
  4. saritby rivers
  5. giriby hills and mountains
  6. vana-ādibhiḥby forests and so on
  7. sīmāboundaries
  8. caalso
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.1

    In this verse: “material”

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 can I respect others’ boundaries while giving more attention to Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Respect another person’s property carefully today, and take a quiet moment to remember Kṛṣṇa rather than dwell on a dispute.

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 5.1's connections

Live this todayPeace Requires More Than BoundariesThis 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 5.1.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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