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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
4.11.134.11.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.11.14

Mukti· Liberation
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

सम्प्रसन्ने भगवति पुरुष: प्राकृतैर्गुणै: ।

विमुक्तो जीवनिर्मुक्तो ब्रह्म निर्वाणमृच्छति ॥ १४ ॥

samprasanne bhagavati

puruṣaḥ prākṛtair guṇaiḥ

vimukto jīva-nirmukto

brahma nirvāṇam ṛcchati

Translation

One who actually satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead during one’s lifetime becomes liberated from the gross and subtle material conditions. Thus being freed from all material modes of nature, he achieves unlimited spiritual bliss.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek the Lord’s Satisfaction, Not Your Own

  1. 1

    Treating living entities with tolerance, mercy, friendship and equality satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Upon His satisfaction, the devotee becomes free from material conditions.

  2. 2

    The secret of bhakti-yoga is to act for the Lord’s satisfaction rather than one’s own. When the Lord is satisfied, the devotee automatically becomes satisfied.

  3. 3

    By sincerely engaging the senses in the Lord’s loving service, the devotee reaches the transcendental platform. Freedom from material nature brings unlimited spiritual bliss.

Key points from the purport
  • By such behavior one satisfies the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and upon His satisfaction the devotee immediately becomes free from all material conditions.
  • Here it is clearly said that upon pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead one immediately attains to the spiritual platform and enjoys unlimited blissful life.
  • The devotional process is completely different from the others; by working to please the Lord by engaging his senses in the Lord’s loving service, the devotee is immediately situated on the transcendental platform, and he enjoys unlimited blissful 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. samprasanneupon satisfaction
  2. bhagavatiof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. puruṣaḥa person
  4. prākṛtaiḥfrom the material
  5. guṇaiḥmodes of nature
  6. vimuktaḥbeing liberated
  7. jīva-nirmuktaḥfreed from the subtle body also
  8. brahmaunlimited
  9. nirvāṇamspiritual bliss
  10. ṛcchatiachieves
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “bhakti-yoga”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 4.11

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Am I approaching service mainly for my satisfaction or for the Lord’s?

Practice

Choose one act of service today and consciously do it for the Lord’s satisfaction rather than personal reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek the Lord’s Satisfaction, Not Your OwnThis 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 4.11.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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