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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 12: Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead
4.12.154.12.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.16

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.12.8inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

आत्मस्त्र्यपत्यसुहृदो बलमृद्धकोश-

मन्त:पुरं परिविहारभुवश्च रम्या: ।

भूमण्डलं जलधिमेखलमाकलय्य

कालोपसृष्टमिति स प्रययौ विशालाम् ॥ १६ ॥

ātma-stry-apatya-suhṛdo balam ṛddha-kośam

antaḥ-puraṁ parivihāra-bhuvaś ca ramyāḥ

bhū-maṇḍalaṁ jaladhi-mekhalam ākalayya

kālopasṛṣṭam iti sa prayayau viśālām

Translation

Thus Dhruva Mahārāja, at the end, left his kingdom, which extended all over the earth and was bounded by the great oceans. He considered his body, his wives, his children, his friends, his army, his rich treasury, his very comfortable palaces and his many enjoyable pleasure-grounds to be creations of the illusory energy. Thus in due course of time he retired to the forest in the Himālayas known as Badarikāśrama.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Purifies Our Motives

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja recognized his kingdom, possessions, and bodily pleasures as creations of the illusory energy. In due course, he left for Badarikāśrama.

  2. 2

    He had originally sought the Supreme Lord to gain his father's kingdom. By the Lord's grace, he became a great devotee with no interest in material enjoyment.

  3. 3

    Whatever one's initial motivation, becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious can lead to realization of the real truth. Even a little devotional service is better than complete absorption in fruitive activities.

Key points from the purport
  • In the beginning of his life, when he went to the forest in search of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Dhruva Mahārāja realized that all bodily conceptions of pleasure are products of the illusory energy.
  • In the very beginning, of course, he was after the kingdom of his father, and in order to get it he went to search for the Supreme Lord.
  • In the beginning, Dhruva Mahārāja was interested in the kingdom of his father, but later he became a great devotee, mahā-bhāgavata, and had no interest in material enjoyment.

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 12: Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead

Dhruva stops fighting, continues devotional service, leaves his kingdom, and goes back to Godhead.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ātmabody
  2. strīwives
  3. apatyachildren
  4. suhṛdaḥfriends
  5. balaminfluence, army
  6. ṛddha-kośamrich treasury
  7. antaḥ-puramfemale residential quarters
  8. parivihāra-bhuvaḥpleasure-grounds
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “children”, “father's”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.12

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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “friends”

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

Can I begin or continue devotional service honestly, even while my motives are still mixed?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer to the Supreme Lord today, asking for the desire to serve rather than merely enjoy.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Purifies Our MotivesThis 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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