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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
4.12.294.12.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.30

Mukti· Liberation
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

तदोत्तानपद: पुत्रो ददर्शान्तकमागतम् ।

मृत्योर्मूर्ध्नि पदं दत्त्वा आरुरोहाद्भुतं गृहम् ॥ ३० ॥

tadottānapadaḥ putro

dadarśāntakam āgatam

mṛtyor mūrdhni padaṁ dattvā

ārurohādbhutaṁ gṛham

Translation

When Dhruva Mahārāja was attempting to get on the transcendental plane, he saw death personified approach him. Not caring for death, however, he took advantage of the opportunity to put his feet on the head of death, and thus he got up on the airplane, which was as big as a house.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Devotee Meets Death Without Fear

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja was not afraid when death personified approached. He placed his feet on death’s head and boarded the transcendental airplane.

  2. 2

    The passing away of a devotee and a nondevotee should not be considered the same. A cat carries both a kitten and a rat in its mouth, but their experiences are very different.

  3. 3

    Death came to offer obeisances to Dhruva Mahārāja rather than trouble him. The wonderful airplane he boarded was as big as a house.

Key points from the purport
  • While ascending the transcendental airplane, Dhruva Mahārāja suddenly saw death personified before him, but he was not afraid.
  • Instead of death’s giving him trouble, Dhruva Mahārāja took advantage of death’s presence and put his feet on the head of death.
  • When Dhruva Mahārāja boarded the airplane, he took advantage of the arrival of death personified, who came to offer him obeisances; putting his feet on the head of death, he got up on the unique airplane, which is described here to be as big as a house (gṛham).

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. tadāthen
  2. uttānapadaḥof King Uttānapāda
  3. putraḥson
  4. dadarśacould see
  5. antakamdeath personified
  6. āgatamapproached him
  7. mṛtyoḥ mūrdhnion the head of death
  8. padamfeet
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “death”, “afraid”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

What does Dhruva Mahārāja’s fearlessness teach me about a devotee’s encounter with death?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute reflecting on the difference between the kitten and the rat in the purport’s example.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.12's connections

Live this todayA Devotee Meets Death Without FearThis 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 4.12.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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