SB 8.16.4 — FolioCorpus

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 8.16.4

अप्यभद्रं न विप्राणां भद्रे लोकेऽधुनागतम् । न धर्मस्य न लोकस्य मृत्योश्छन्दानुवर्तिन: ॥ ४ ॥

apy abhadraṁ na viprāṇāṁ

[apy abhadram na vipraanaam]

bhadre loke ’dhunāgatam

[bhadre loke ’dhunaagatam]

na dharmasya na lokasya

[na dharmasya na lokasya]

mṛtyoś chandānuvartinaḥ

[mrityosh chandaanuvartinah]

Word-for-word

api — whether abhadram — ill fortune na — not viprāṇām — of the brāhmaṇas bhadre — O most gentle Aditi loke — in this world adhunā — at the present moment āgatam — has come na — not dharmasya — of religious principles na — not lokasya — of the people in general mṛtyoḥ — death chanda-anuvartinaḥ — who are followers of the whims of death.

Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)

apy abhadraṁ na viprāṇāṁ

api

whether

abhadram

ill fortune

not

viprāṇām

of the brāhmaṇas

bhadre loke ’dhunāgatam

bhadre

O most gentle Aditi

loke

in this world

na dharmasya na lokasya

adhunā

at the present moment

āgatam

has come

not

dharmasya

of religious principles

mṛtyoś chandānuvartinaḥ

not

lokasya

of the people in general

mṛtyoḥ

death

chanda-anuvartinaḥ

who are followers of the whims of death.

O most gentle one, I wonder whether anything inauspicious has now taken place in regard to religious principles, the brāhmaṇas or the people in general, who are subject to the whims of death.

Purport

There are prescribed duties for all the inhabitants of this material world, especially for the brāhmaṇas but also for the people in general, who are subject to the whims of death. Kaśyapa Muni wondered whether the regulative principles, which are meant for the well-being of everyone, had been disobeyed. He accordingly continued his inquiries for seven verses.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda

Gauḍīya Ācāryas

Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya

Translation

O most excellent woman! I wonder whether anything inauspicious has now taken place in regard to dharma, the brāhmaṇas or the people in general, who are subject to the whims of death. He asks various questions, to understand the reason for her sad face in seven verses. Api indicates a question. Has misfortune come to the brāhmaṇas or not? Or to dharma or the people, who are subject to the desires of death?

Personal Guidance

I wonder whether anything inauspicious has happened to dharma, brāhmaṇas, or the people. Kaśyapa asks first about systemic well-being, not personal grievance. The wise diagnose home through the question of larger order.

Reflection Questions

When a loved one is sad, do I first ask about systemic concerns or jump to personal symptoms?
Where might my private sadness actually reflect a larger dharmic disturbance I have not named?

📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io