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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
4.12.414.12.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.42

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.12.42inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

य: पञ्चवर्षो गुरुदारवाक्शरै-

र्भिन्नेन यातो हृदयेन दूयता ।

वनं मदादेशकरोऽजितं प्रभुं

जिगाय तद्भक्तगुणै: पराजितम् ॥ ४२ ॥

yaḥ pañca-varṣo guru-dāra-vāk-śarair

bhinnena yāto hṛdayena dūyatā

vanaṁ mad-ādeśa-karo ’jitaṁ prabhuṁ

jigāya tad-bhakta-guṇaiḥ parājitam

Translation

The great sage Nārada continued: Just see how Dhruva Mahārāja, aggrieved at the harsh words of his stepmother, went to the forest at the age of only five years and under my direction underwent austerity. Although the Supreme Personality of Godhead is unconquerable, Dhruva Mahārāja defeated Him with the specific qualifications possessed by the Lord’s devotees.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Love Conquers the Unconquerable Lord

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is unconquerable, yet He willingly submits to His devotees’ pure love. This is His voluntary response to their devotional qualities.

  2. 2

    Accepting a bona fide spiritual master is the first principle of devotional service. Dhruva Mahārāja gained the Lord’s favor by strictly following Nārada’s direction.

  3. 3

    The sum of devotional qualities is unalloyed love for Kṛṣṇa. Anyone can gradually develop this love by submissively hearing messages spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Godhead is unconquerable; no one can conquer the Lord.
  • Dhruva Mahārāja conquered the Supreme Lord because at a very tender age, only five years old, he underwent all the austerities of devotional service.
  • Not only does a devotee become one in quality with the Supreme Lord, but he sometimes becomes the father, mother or master of the Lord.

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. yaḥhe who
  2. pañca-varṣaḥat the age of five years
  3. guru-dāraof the wife of his father
  4. vāk-śaraiḥby the harsh words
  5. bhinnenabeing very much aggrieved
  6. yātaḥwent
  7. hṛdayenabecause his heart
  8. dūyatāvery much pained
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotional service”, “devotees’”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “favor”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 can I hear about Kṛṣṇa with greater humility and attention?

Practice

Spend five minutes attentively hearing or reading a message spoken by Kṛṣṇa or about Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Love Conquers the Unconquerable LordThis 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 4.12.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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