FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 9.4.1

श्रीशुक उवाच नाभागो नभगापत्यं यं ततं भ्रातर: कविम् । यविष्ठं व्यभजन् दायं ब्रह्मचारिणमागतम् ॥ १ ॥
śrī-śuka uvāca
[shree-shuka uvaacha]
nābhāgo nabhagāpatyaṁ
[naabhaago nabhagaapatyam]
yaṁ tataṁ bhrātaraḥ kavim
[yam tatam bhraatarah kavim]
yaviṣṭhaṁ vyabhajan dāyaṁ
[yavishtham vyabhajan daayam]
brahmacāriṇam āgatam
[brahmachaarinam aagatam]
Word-for-word
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca — Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said nābhāgaḥ — Nābhāga nabhaga-apatyam — was the son of Mahārāja Nabhaga yam — unto whom tatam — the father bhrātaraḥ — the elder brothers kavim — the learned yaviṣṭham — the youngest vyabhajan — divided dāyam — the property brahmacāriṇam — having accepted the life of a brahmacārī perpetually (naiṣṭhika) āgatam — returned.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śrī-śuka uvāca
śrī-śukaḥ uvāca
Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
nābhāgo nabhagāpatyaṁ
nābhāgaḥ
Nābhāga
nabhaga-apatyam
was the son of Mahārāja Nabhaga
yam
unto whom
yaṁ tataṁ bhrātaraḥ kavim
tatam
the father
bhrātaraḥ
the elder brothers
kavim
the learned
yaviṣṭhaṁ vyabhajan dāyaṁ
yaviṣṭham
the youngest
vyabhajan
divided
dāyam
the property
brahmacāriṇam āgatam
brahmacāriṇam
having accepted the life of a brahmacārī perpetually (naiṣṭhika)
āgatam
returned.
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The son of Nabhaga named Nābhāga lived for a long time at the place of his spiritual master. Therefore, his brothers thought that he was not going to become a gṛhastha and would not return. Consequently, without providing a share for him, they divided the property of their father among themselves. When Nābhāga returned from the place of his spiritual master, they gave him their father as his share.
Purport

There are two kinds of brahmacārīs. One may return home, marry and become a householder, whereas the other, known as bṛhad-vrata, takes a vow to remain a brahmacārī perpetually. The bṛhad-vrata brahmacārī does not return from the place of the spiritual master; he stays there, and later he directly takes sannyāsa. Because Nābhāga did not return from the place of his spiritual master, his brothers thought that he had taken bṛhadvrata-brahmacarya. Therefore, they did not preserve his share, and when he returned they gave him their father as his share.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The brothers gave to their youngest, learned brother Nābhāga their father Nabhaga as his share of the property when he returned from brahmacārī life The Fourth Chapter tells the story of Nabhaga and Ambarīṣa, how a demon arose from Durvāsā’s hair and how Durvāsā was burned by the cakra. Nabhaga’s son was Nābhāga. His brothers gave his father as his share of property to this youngest, learned brother when he returned from brahmacārī life. There was no property to give. Thinking he had taken lifelong brahmacārya, they had already divided their father’s property before he returned.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Nābhāga stays long at his guru's place, and his brothers, assuming him a lifelong celibate, divide the inheritance without him. Sincere absorption in study can be mistaken for renunciation — others' assumptions reshape our material circumstances.
Reflection Questions
  • What are others assuming about my path, and is that assumption helping or hurting me?
  • Where might I owe a clearer signal so loved ones can plan accurately around me?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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