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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
4.10.44.10.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.10.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.10.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

गत्वोदीचीं दिशं राजा रुद्रानुचरसेविताम् । ददर्श हिमवद्‌द्रोण्यां पुरीं गुह्यकसङ्कुलाम् ॥ ५ ॥

gatvodīcīṁ diśaṁ rājā

rudrānucara-sevitām

dadarśa himavad-droṇyāṁ

purīṁ guhyaka-saṅkulām

Translation

Dhruva Mahārāja went to the northern direction of the Himālayan range. In a valley he saw a city full of ghostly persons who were followers of Lord Śiva.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Yakṣas’ Connection with Lord Śiva

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja traveled north into the Himālayan range.

  2. 2

    In a valley, he saw a city full of ghostly persons who followed Lord Śiva.

  3. 3

    The purport describes the Yakṣas as more or less devotees of Lord Śiva. It suggests that they may be taken to be Himālayan tribes like the Tibetans.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse it is stated that the Yakṣas are more or less devotees of Lord Śiva.
  • By this indication the Yakṣas may be taken to be the Himālayan tribes like the Tibetans.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gatvāgoing
  2. udīcīmnorthern
  3. diśamdirection
  4. rājāKing Dhruva
  5. rudra-anucaraby followers of Rudra, Lord Śiva
  6. sevitāminhabited
  7. dadarśasaw
  8. himavatHimālayan
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.10

    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

How does the purport distinguish its suggestion about the Yakṣas from a definite identification?

Practice

Read the purport again, noticing the qualifying phrases “more or less” and “may be taken to be.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Yakṣas’ Connection with Lord ŚivaThis 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 4.10.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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