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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 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest
4.8.124.8.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.13

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

तपसाराध्य पुरुषं तस्यैवानुग्रहेण मे ।

गर्भे त्वं साधयात्मानं यदीच्छसि नृपासनम् ॥ १३ ॥

tapasārādhya puruṣaṁ

tasyaivānugraheṇa me

garbhe tvaṁ sādhayātmānaṁ

yadīcchasi nṛpāsanam

Translation

If you at all desire to rise to the throne of the King, then you have to undergo severe austerities. First of all you must satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, and then, when you are favored by Him because of such worship, you shall have to take your next birth from my womb.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Envy Behind Advice About Worship

  1. 1

    Suruci told Dhruva Mahārāja to undergo severe austerities and satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa.

  2. 2

    She said that His favor would enable him to take his next birth from her womb and then seek the throne.

  3. 3

    The purport explains how envious this demand was: she indirectly asked him to die and take another body before ascending his father’s throne.

Key points from the purport
  • Suruci was so envious of Dhruva Mahārāja that she indirectly asked him to change his body.
  • According to her, first of all he had to die, then take his next body in her womb, and only then would it be possible for Dhruva Mahārāja to ascend the throne of his father.

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. tapasāby austerities
  2. ārādhyahaving satisfied
  3. puruṣamthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. tasyaby His
  5. evaonly
  6. anugraheṇaby the mercy of
  7. memy
  8. garbhein the womb
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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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “favored”, “favor”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I give advice, am I seeking another person’s good or expressing envy?

Practice

Before offering advice today, check whether any envy is shaping your words.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEnvy Behind Advice About WorshipThis 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 4.8.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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