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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
4.12.374.12.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.38

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

इत्युत्तानपद: पुत्रो ध्रुव: कृष्णपरायण: ।

अभूत्‍त्रयाणां लोकानां चूडामणिरिवामल: ॥ ३८ ॥

ity uttānapadaḥ putro

dhruvaḥ kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥ

abhūt trayāṇāṁ lokānāṁ

cūḍā-maṇir ivāmalaḥ

Translation

In this way, the fully Kṛṣṇa conscious Dhruva Mahārāja, the exalted son of Mahārāja Uttānapāda, attained the summit of the three statuses of planetary systems.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Move Forward With Kṛṣṇa as Your Goal

  1. 1

    The expression kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥ means fully Kṛṣṇa conscious. It describes someone moving forward with Kṛṣṇa as the goal.

  2. 2

    Fully Kṛṣṇa conscious, Dhruva Mahārāja attained the summit of the three planetary systems.

  3. 3

    His example shows that a Kṛṣṇa conscious person can attain an exalted position beyond the imagination of an ambitious materialist.

Key points from the purport
  • Anyone who is going forward to the goal of Kṛṣṇa is called kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇa, or fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.
  • The example of Dhruva Mahārāja indicates that every Kṛṣṇa conscious person can expect to reach the topmost summit of all three planetary systems within the universe.
  • A Kṛṣṇa conscious person can occupy an exalted position beyond the imagination of any ambitious materialist.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. itithus
  2. uttānapadaḥof Mahārāja Uttānapāda
  3. putraḥthe son
  4. dhruvaḥDhruva Mahārāja
  5. kṛṣṇa-parāyaṇaḥfully Kṛṣṇa conscious
  6. abhūtbecame
  7. trayāṇāmof the three
  8. lokānāmworlds
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “materialist”

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

Am I moving toward Kṛṣṇa, or mainly toward material ambition?

Practice

Pause before one activity today and consider how to keep Kṛṣṇa as your goal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMove Forward With Kṛṣṇa as Your GoalThis 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 4.12.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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