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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest
4.8.114.8.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.12

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Queen Surucisince 4.8.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

बालोऽसि बत नात्मानमन्यस्त्रीगर्भसम्भृतम् ।

नूनं वेद भवान् यस्य दुर्लभेऽर्थे मनोरथ: ॥ १२ ॥

bālo ’si bata nātmānam

anya-strī-garbha-sambhṛtam

nūnaṁ veda bhavān yasya

durlabhe ’rthe manorathaḥ

Translation

My dear child, you are unaware that you were born not of my womb but of another woman. Therefore you should know that your attempt is doomed to failure. You are trying to fulfill a desire which is impossible to fulfill.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pride Wounds a Child’s Natural Affection

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja was a small child who naturally felt affection for his father.

  2. 2

    He did not know that there was a distinction between his two mothers.

  3. 3

    Suruci pointed out this distinction and declared his desire impossible to fulfill. The purport identifies this as another expression of her pride.

Key points from the purport
  • The small child, Dhruva Mahārāja, was naturally affectionate toward his father, and he did not know that there was a distinction between his two mothers.
  • This distinction was pointed out by Queen Suruci, who informed him that since he was a child he did not understand the distinction between the two queens.
  • This is another statement of Queen Suruci’s pride.

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 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest

Dhruva leaves home, receives Nārada’s instructions, and worships the Supreme Personality of Godhead with austerity.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.8
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bālaḥchild
  2. asiyou are
  3. batahowever
  4. nanot
  5. ātmānammy own
  6. anyaother
  7. strīwoman
  8. garbhawomb
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “child”, “mothers”, “father”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “pride”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might my pride interfere with someone’s simple wish for affection?

Practice

Respond gently today when someone seeks your attention or affection.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPride Wounds a Child’s Natural AffectionThis 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 4.8.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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