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
4.12.284.12.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.29

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.12.28inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

परीत्याभ्यर्च्य धिष्ण्याग्र्यं पार्षदावभिवन्द्य च ।

इयेष तदधिष्ठातुं बिभ्रद्रूपं हिरण्मयम् ॥ २९ ॥

parītyābhyarcya dhiṣṇyāgryaṁ

pārṣadāv abhivandya ca

iyeṣa tad adhiṣṭhātuṁ

bibhrad rūpaṁ hiraṇmayam

Translation

Before getting aboard, Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped the airplane, circumambulated it, and also offered obeisances to the associates of Viṣṇu. In the meantime he became as brilliant and illuminating as molten gold. He was thus completely prepared to board the transcendental plane.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor the Lord and Everything Associated

  1. 1

    Lord Viṣṇu, His associates, His airplane and His abode are all spiritual, without material contamination. Their oneness in spiritual quality does not remove their variety.

  2. 2

    Dhruva Mahārāja worshiped the airplane and offered respects to the Lord’s associates. His body changed into spiritual existence and shone like molten gold.

  3. 3

    A temple of Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa, is different from the material world. The Lord’s throne, room and everything associated with His temple are transcendental and worshipable.

Key points from the purport
  • In the absolute world, the plane, the associates of Lord Viṣṇu and Lord Viṣṇu Himself are all spiritual — there is no material contamination.
  • As Śiśumāra, Viṣṇuloka or Dhruvaloka are completely different from this material world, so a Viṣṇu temple within this world is also completely different from this material world.
  • Everything in the temple is as worshipable as Lord Viṣṇu, or Kṛṣṇa.

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. parītyahaving circumambulated
  2. abhyarcyahaving worshiped
  3. dhiṣṇya-agryamthe transcendental airplane
  4. pārṣadauunto the two associates
  5. abhivandyahaving offered obeisances
  6. caalso
  7. iyeṣahe attempted
  8. tatthat plane
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshiped”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “contamination”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “material”

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 would remembering the temple’s spiritual nature change the way I behave there?

Practice

When entering a temple today, pause and consciously offer respect to the Lord and His surroundings.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Lord and Everything AssociatedThis 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 4.12.29? 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