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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
4.12.514.13.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.12.52

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.12.44inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

इदं मया तेऽभिहितं कुरूद्वहध्रुवस्य विख्यातविशुद्धकर्मण: । हित्वार्भक: क्रीडनकानि मातु-र्गृहं च विष्णुं शरणं यो जगाम ॥ ५२ ॥

idaṁ mayā te ’bhihitaṁ kurūdvaha

dhruvasya vikhyāta-viśuddha-karmaṇaḥ

hitvārbhakaḥ krīḍanakāni mātur

gṛhaṁ ca viṣṇuṁ śaraṇaṁ yo jagāma

Translation

The transcendental activities of Dhruva Mahārāja are well known all over the world, and they are very pure. In childhood Dhruva Mahārāja rejected all kinds of toys and playthings, left the protection of his mother and seriously took shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu. My dear Vidura, I therefore conclude this narration, for I have described to you all its details.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Taking Shelter of the Lord Brings Lasting Glory

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja’s activities are very famous and very pure. Even as a child, he gave up toys and playthings and seriously took shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu.

  2. 2

    Life is short, and proper action may preserve a person’s reputation for a generation. But just as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is everlastingly famous, His devotee’s reputation is also everlasting.

  3. 3

    Dhruva Mahārāja’s leaving home at a tender age and taking shelter of the Lord in the forest is a unique example. His lasting glory rests on these transcendental activities.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore in describing Dhruva Mahārāja’s activities two specific words have been used: vikhyāta, “very famous,” and viśuddha, “transcendental.”
  • Dhruva Mahārāja’s leaving home at a tender age and taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the forest is a unique example in this world.
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Fourth Canto, Twelfth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Dhruva Mahārāja Goes Back to Godhead.”

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. idamthis
  2. mayāby me
  3. teunto you
  4. abhihitamdescribed
  5. kuru-udvahaO great one among the Kurus
  6. dhruvasyaof Dhruva
  7. vikhyātavery famous
  8. viśuddhavery pure
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”, “childhood”, “child”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.12

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “narration”

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 seriousness teach me about taking shelter of the Lord?

Practice

Set aside one brief period of entertainment today and use that time to reflect on Dhruva Mahārāja’s serious shelter of the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTaking Shelter of the Lord Brings Lasting GloryThis 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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