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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 10: Dhruva Mahārāja’s Fight with the Yakṣas
4.10.144.10.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.10.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.10.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

नदत्सु यातुधानेषु जयकाशिष्वथो मृधे ।

उदतिष्ठद्रथस्तस्य नीहारादिव भास्कर: ॥ १५ ॥

nadatsu yātudhāneṣu

jaya-kāśiṣv atho mṛdhe

udatiṣṭhad rathas tasya

nīhārād iva bhāskaraḥ

Translation

The Yakṣas, being temporarily victorious, exclaimed that they had conquered Dhruva Mahārāja. But in the meantime Dhruva’s chariot suddenly appeared, just as the sun suddenly appears from within foggy mist.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Dhruva’s Greatness Shines Through

  1. 1

    The Yakṣas proclaimed victory, but their success was temporary. Dhruva Mahārāja’s chariot suddenly appeared like the sun emerging from mist.

  2. 2

    The purport compares Dhruva Mahārāja to the sun and the Yakṣas to fog. Fog is insignificant beside the sun.

  3. 3

    Clouds may cover our eyes, but they do not actually cover the sun. This comparison affirms Dhruva Mahārāja’s greatness in all circumstances.

Key points from the purport
  • Here Dhruva Mahārāja is compared to the sun and the great assembly of the Yakṣas to foggy mist.
  • Fog is insignificant in comparison with the sun.
  • By this comparison to the sun, the greatness of Dhruva Mahārāja in all circumstances is affirmed.

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

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 10: Dhruva Mahārāja’s Fight with the Yakṣas

After Uttama is killed by a Yakṣa, Dhruva fights the Yakṣas and faces their illusions.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nadatsuwhile exclaiming
  2. yātudhāneṣuthe ghostly Yakṣas
  3. jaya-kāśiṣuproclaiming victory
  4. athothen
  5. mṛdhein the fighting
  6. udatiṣṭhatappeared
  7. rathaḥthe chariot
  8. tasyaof Dhruva Mahārāja
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

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 does this comparison help you distinguish limited perception from actual greatness?

Practice

Write down the distinction the purport makes between the sun being covered and our eyes being covered.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDhruva’s Greatness Shines ThroughThis 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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