1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
4.12.234.12.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.24

Nirodha· Winding up
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

तस्याखिलजगद्धातुरावां देवस्य शार्ङ्गिण: ।

पार्षदाविह सम्प्राप्तौ नेतुं त्वां भगवत्पदम् ॥ २४ ॥

tasyākhila-jagad-dhātur

āvāṁ devasya śārṅgiṇaḥ

pārṣadāv iha samprāptau

netuṁ tvāṁ bhagavat-padam

Translation

We are representatives of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the creator of the whole universe, who carries in His hand the bow named Śārṅga. We have been specifically deputed to take you to the spiritual world.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Understanding the Lord Prepares Our Return

  1. 1

    The Lord’s representatives said they had been specifically sent to take Dhruva Mahārāja to the spiritual world. They served the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the creator who carries the bow Śārṅga.

  2. 2

    Understanding who the Lord is, how He appears and how He acts makes one fit for transfer to the spiritual world. His pastimes are transcendental.

  3. 3

    Throughout his life, Dhruva Mahārāja tried to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead through austerity and penances. The mature result was his departure for the spiritual world with the Lord’s confidential associates.

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that simply by knowing His transcendental pastimes (whether within this material world or in the spiritual world), anyone who understands factually who He is, how He appears and how He acts can be immediately fit for transfer to the spiritual world.
  • Throughout his life he tried to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead by austerity and penances.
  • Now, the mature result was that Dhruva Mahārāja became fit to be carried to the spiritual world, accompanied by the confidential associates of the Lord.

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. tasyaHis
  2. akhilaentire
  3. jagatuniverse
  4. dhātuḥcreator
  5. āvāmwe
  6. devasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. śārṅgiṇaḥwho has the bow named Śārṅga
  8. pārṣadauassociates
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “understanding”

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

Is understanding the Supreme Lord becoming a steady purpose in my life?

Practice

Reread this verse and write one sentence about what it teaches you concerning the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUnderstanding the Lord Prepares Our ReturnThis 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 4.12.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories