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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 4: The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
5.4.11-125.4.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.4.13

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.4.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यवीयांस एकाशीतिर्जायन्तेया: पितुरादेशकरा महाशालीना महाश्रोत्रिया यज्ञशीला: कर्मविशुद्धा ब्राह्मणा बभूवु: ॥ १३ ॥

yavīyāṁsa ekāśītir jāyanteyāḥ pitur ādeśakarā mahā-śālīnā mahā-śrotriyā yajña-śīlāḥ karma-viśuddhā brāhmaṇā babhūvuḥ.

Translation

In addition to these nineteen sons mentioned above, there were eighty-one younger ones, all born of Ṛṣabhadeva and Jayantī. According to the order of their father, they became well-cultured, well-behaved, very pure in their activities and expert in Vedic knowledge and the performance of Vedic rituals. Thus they all became perfectly qualified brāhmaṇas.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Qualification Comes Through Quality and Work

  1. 1

    The eighty-one younger sons of Ṛṣabhadeva and Jayantī followed their father’s orders. They became well-behaved, pure in their activities and expert in Vedic knowledge and rituals.

  2. 2

    Although all the sons were kṣatriyas by birth, their roles depended on quality and work. Ten became rulers, while eighty-one became qualified brāhmaṇas.

  3. 3

    Nine became exalted preachers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. The purport places these devotees above the categories of kṣatriya and brāhmaṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Nine sons became good preachers of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (mahā-bhāgavatas), and this indicates that they were above the position of brāhmaṇas.
  • The other eighty-one sons became highly qualified brāhmaṇas.
  • All the sons of Mahārāja Ṛṣabhadeva were kṣatriyas by birth, but by quality some of them became kṣatriyas, and some became brāhmaṇas.

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 4: The Characteristics of Ṛṣabhadeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

To follow social customs, Lord Ṛṣabhadeva for a while became a student in the gurukula, and after returning, He followed the orders of His guru and accepted a wife named Jayantī, who had been given to Him by the King of heaven, Indra. He begot a hundred sons in the womb of Jayantī.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.4
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yavīyāṁsaḥyounger
  2. ekāśītiḥnumbering eighty-one
  3. jāyanteyāḥthe sons of Jayantī, the wife of Ṛṣabhadeva
  4. pituḥof their father
  5. ādeśakarāḥfollowing the order
  6. mahā-śālīnāḥwell-behaved, well-cultured
  7. mahā-śrotriyāḥextremely learned in Vedic knowledge
  8. yajña-śīlāḥexpert in performing ritualistic ceremonies
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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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 5.4

    In this verse: “father”, “father’s”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.4

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.4

    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

Am I giving more importance to good qualities and conduct than to birth or status?

Practice

Choose one action today in which to practice careful, respectful behavior.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayQualification Comes Through Quality and WorkThis 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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