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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 12: Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead
4.12.164.12.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.17

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

तस्यां विशुद्धकरण: शिववार्विगाह्य

बद्ध्वासनं जितमरुन्मनसाहृताक्ष: ।

स्थूले दधार भगवत्प्रतिरूप एतद्

ध्यायंस्तदव्यवहितो व्यसृजत्समाधौ ॥ १७ ॥

tasyāṁ viśuddha-karaṇaḥ śiva-vār vigāhya

baddhvāsanaṁ jita-marun manasāhṛtākṣaḥ

sthūle dadhāra bhagavat-pratirūpa etad

dhyāyaṁs tad avyavahito vyasṛjat samādhau

Translation

In Badarikāśrama Dhruva Mahārāja’s senses became completely purified because he bathed regularly in the crystal-clear, purified water. He fixed his sitting position and by yogic practice controlled the breathing process and the air of life; in this way his senses were completely withdrawn. Then he concentrated his mind on the arcā-vigraha form of the Lord, which is the exact replica of the Lord and, thus meditating upon Him, entered into complete trance.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Become Absorbed in the Lord's Form

  1. 1

    In the solitude of Badarikāśrama, Dhruva Mahārāja practiced aṣṭāṅga-yoga, controlled his breathing, and withdrew his senses. He concentrated on the Lord's arcā-vigraha form and entered complete trance.

  2. 2

    The arcā-vigraha, or worshipable Deity, is an incarnation of the Lord in a form accessible to the devotee. This worship is not idol worship, because the Lord's Deity form is nondifferent from His original spiritual form.

  3. 3

    By following the regulative principles of Deity worship, devotees become absorbed in thought of the Lord. Such constant remembrance is the ultimate goal of life and makes one the topmost yogī.

Key points from the purport
  • He concentrated his mind on the arcā-vigraha, the worshipable Deity of the Lord, which exactly represents the Supreme Lord, and thus thinking constantly of that Deity, he became absorbed in trance.
  • The arcā-vigraha is an incarnation of the Lord in a form appreciable by a devotee.
  • Therefore devotees engage in the temple in the service of the Lord as arcā-vigraha, a form made of sthūla (material) objects such as stone, metal, wood, jewels or paint.

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. tasyāmin Badarikāśrama
  2. viśuddhapurified
  3. karaṇaḥhis senses
  4. śivapure
  5. vāḥwater
  6. vigāhyabathing in
  7. baddhvāhaving fixed
  8. āsanamsitting position
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 4.12

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worshipable”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “purified”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “principles”

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 can I give more attentive thought to the Lord's worshipable form?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute today attentively contemplating the Lord's worshipable Deity form.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBecome Absorbed in the Lord's FormThis 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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