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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
4.12.394.12.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.40

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.12.39inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

महिमानं विलोक्यास्य नारदो भगवानृषि: ।

आतोद्यं वितुदञ्श्लोकान् सत्रेऽगायत्प्रचेतसाम् ॥ ४० ॥

mahimānaṁ vilokyāsya

nārado bhagavān ṛṣiḥ

ātodyaṁ vitudañ ślokān

satre ’gāyat pracetasām

Translation

After observing the glories of Dhruva Mahārāja, the great sage Nārada, playing his vīṇā, went to the sacrificial arena of the Pracetās and very happily chanted the following three verses.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Disciple’s Progress Delights the Spiritual Master

  1. 1

    Nārada was the spiritual master of Dhruva Mahārāja. He was very glad to see his disciple’s glories.

  2. 2

    A spiritual master rejoices in a disciple’s advancement, just as a father rejoices in a son’s progress.

  3. 3

    After observing Dhruva Mahārāja’s glories, Nārada played his vīṇā and happily chanted at the sacrificial arena of the Pracetās.

Key points from the purport
  • The great sage Nārada was the spiritual master of Dhruva Mahārāja.
  • Certainly he was very glad to see Dhruva’s glories.
  • As a father is very happy to see the son’s advancement in every respect, so the spiritual master is very happy to observe the ascendancy of his disciple.

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. mahimānamglories
  2. vilokyaobserving
  3. asyaof Dhruva Mahārāja
  4. nāradaḥthe great sage Nārada
  5. bhagavānequally as exalted as the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  6. ṛṣiḥthe saint
  7. ātodyamthe stringed instrument, vīṇā
  8. vitudanplaying on
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “chanted”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “father”

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

Do I take sincere joy in another person’s spiritual advancement?

Practice

Offer one sincere word of appreciation for someone’s spiritual progress today.

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 Disciple’s Progress Delights the Spiritual MasterThis 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 4.12.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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