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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
4.8.144.8.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.15

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.8.14inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तं नि:श्वसन्तं स्फुरिताधरोष्ठं

सुनीतिरुत्सङ्ग उदूह्य बालम् ।

निशम्य तत्पौरमुखान्नितान्तं

सा विव्यथे यद्गदितं सपत्‍न्या ॥ १५ ॥

taṁ niḥśvasantaṁ sphuritādharoṣṭhaṁ

sunītir utsaṅga udūhya bālam

niśamya tat-paura-mukhān nitāntaṁ

sā vivyathe yad gaditaṁ sapatnyā

Translation

When Dhruva Mahārāja reached his mother, his lips were trembling in anger, and he was crying very grievously. Queen Sunīti immediately lifted her son onto her lap, while the palace residents who had heard all the harsh words of Suruci related everything in detail. Thus Sunīti also became greatly aggrieved.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Mother Receives Her Grieving Child

  1. 1

    Dhruva Mahārāja reached his mother crying grievously, with his lips trembling in anger.

  2. 2

    Sunīti immediately lifted her son onto her lap.

  3. 3

    The palace residents related Suruci’s harsh words in detail, and Sunīti also became greatly aggrieved.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tamhim
  2. niḥśvasantamheavily breathing
  3. sphuritatrembling
  4. adhara-oṣṭhamupper and lower lips
  5. sunītiḥQueen Sunīti
  6. utsaṅgeon her lap
  7. udūhyalifting
  8. bālamher son
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “crying”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I offer immediate care to someone who is distressed?

Practice

Give a distressed person a few minutes of gentle attention and listening today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Mother Receives Her Grieving ChildThis 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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