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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 11: Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting
4.11.94.11.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.11.10

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Manusince 4.11.7inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

नायं मार्गो हि साधूनां हृषीकेशानुवर्तिनाम् ।

यदात्मानं पराग्गृह्य पशुवद्भूतवैशसम् ॥ १० ॥

nāyaṁ mārgo hi sādhūnāṁ

hṛṣīkeśānuvartinām

yad ātmānaṁ parāg gṛhya

paśuvad bhūta-vaiśasam

Translation

One should not accept the body as the self and thus, like the animals, kill the bodies of others. This is especially forbidden by saintly persons, who follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Your Senses in Devotional Service

  1. 1

    A sādhu is a saintly person who serves Hṛṣīkeśa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Favorable service to Him with one’s senses is called bhakti.

  2. 2

    Someone engaged in the Lord’s service should not turn toward personal sense gratification or identify the body as the self.

  3. 3

    An animal attacks another while considering its body to be food. A human being, especially a devotee, should not act in this bodily conception or kill animals unnecessarily.

Key points from the purport
  • A saintly person is he who follows the path of rendering service unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hṛṣīkeśa.
  • Therefore, why should a person who is already engaged in the service of the Lord engage himself in personal sense gratification?
  • Dhruva Mahārāja is advised here by Lord Manu that since he is a pure servitor of the Lord, why should he unnecessarily engage, like the animals, in the bodily concept of life?

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 11: Svāyambhuva Manu Advises Dhruva Mahārāja to Stop Fighting

Svāyambhuva Manu urges Dhruva to stop killing innocent Yakṣas and turn his attention to the Supreme Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.11
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. ayamthis
  3. mārgaḥpath
  4. hicertainly
  5. sādhūnāmof honest persons
  6. hṛṣīkeśaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. anuvartināmfollowing the path
  8. yatwhich
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”, “bhakti”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “favorable”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “sense gratification”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I use my senses to serve the Lord rather than simply seek personal gratification?

Practice

Use your voice today to offer a short, sincere prayer of service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Your Senses in Devotional ServiceThis 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 4.11.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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