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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 12: Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead
4.12.404.12.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.41

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.12.41inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

नारद उवाच

नूनं सुनीते: पतिदेवताया-

स्तप:प्रभावस्य सुतस्य तां गतिम् ।

दृष्ट्वाभ्युपायानपि वेदवादिनो

नैवाधिगन्तुं प्रभवन्ति किं नृपा: ॥ ४१ ॥

nārada uvāca

nūnaṁ sunīteḥ pati-devatāyās

tapaḥ-prabhāvasya sutasya tāṁ gatim

dṛṣṭvābhyupāyān api veda-vādino

naivādhigantuṁ prabhavanti kiṁ nṛpāḥ

Translation

The great sage Nārada said: Simply by the influence of his spiritual advancement and powerful austerity, Dhruva Mahārāja, the son of Sunīti, who was devoted to her husband, acquired an exalted position not possible to attain even for the so-called Vedāntists or strict followers of the Vedic principles, not to speak of ordinary human beings.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Surpasses Status and Learning

  1. 1

    Through spiritual advancement and powerful austerity, Dhruva Mahārāja attained an extraordinary position.

  2. 2

    Some people speak about the Vedas or perform austerities without understanding the Vedas’ purpose. Such efforts alone cannot bring them to Dhruva Mahārāja’s position.

  3. 3

    Without devotional service, neither a great king nor a brāhmaṇa strictly following Vedic principles can attain that exalted position.

Key points from the purport
  • Such persons may go on talking about the Vedas or may execute austerities in their own way, but it is not possible for them to attain to such an exalted position as Dhruva Mahārāja.
  • Dhruva Mahārāja was a king, and at the same time he was as learned as a great sage.
  • But without devotional service, neither a great king, a kṣatriya, nor a great brāhmaṇa strictly adhering to the Vedic principles can be elevated to the exalted position attained by Dhruva Mahārāja.

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. nāradaḥ uvācaNārada said
  2. nūnamcertainly
  3. sunīteḥof Sunīti
  4. pati-devatāyāḥvery much attached to her husband
  5. tapaḥ-prabhāvasyaby the influence of austerity
  6. sutasyaof the son
  7. tāmthat
  8. gatimposition
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “principles”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • 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

Am I treating spiritual learning as a means of service or as a source of status?

Practice

Before studying today, take a moment to make devotional service—not recognition—your purpose.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Surpasses Status and LearningThis 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.

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