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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
4.12.24.12.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.3

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The master of the treasury, Kuverasince 4.12.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

न भवानवधीद्यक्षान्न यक्षा भ्रातरं तव ।

काल एव हि भूतानां प्रभुरप्ययभावयो: ॥ ३ ॥

na bhavān avadhīd yakṣān

na yakṣā bhrātaraṁ tava

kāla eva hi bhūtānāṁ

prabhur apyaya-bhāvayoḥ

Translation

Actually, you have not killed the Yakṣas, nor have they killed your brother, for the ultimate cause of generation and annihilation is the eternal time feature of the Supreme Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Eternal Time Governs Birth and Death

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja might have considered himself sinful for killing so many Yakṣas. Kuvera assured him that he had performed his duty as a king under the laws of nature.

  2. 2

    Kuvera also explained that Dhruva’s brother had died in due course of time under the laws of nature.

  3. 3

    Eternal time is one of the features of the Supreme Lord. It is ultimately responsible for generation and annihilation.

Key points from the purport
  • When the master of the treasury addressed him as sinless, Dhruva Mahārāja, considering himself responsible for killing so many Yakṣas, might have thought himself otherwise.
  • Kuvera, however, assured him that factually he had not killed any of the Yakṣas; therefore, he was not at all sinful.
  • Eternal time, one of the features of the Lord, is ultimately responsible for annihilation and generation.

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. nanot
  2. bhavānyou
  3. avadhītkilled
  4. yakṣānthe Yakṣas
  5. nanot
  6. yakṣāḥthe Yakṣas
  7. bhrātarambrother
  8. tavayour
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “duty”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “king”

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 does recognizing the Lord’s eternal time change my understanding of loss?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute reflecting on eternal time as a feature of the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEternal Time Governs Birth and DeathThis 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 4.12.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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