1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 4 · The Creation of the Fourth Order · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

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
4.8.174.8.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sunītisince 4.8.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सत्यं सुरुच्याभिहितं भवान्मे

यद्दुर्भगाया उदरे गृहीत: ।

स्तन्येन वृद्धश्च विलज्जते यां

भार्येति वा वोढुमिडस्पतिर्माम् ॥ १८ ॥

satyaṁ surucyābhihitaṁ bhavān me

yad durbhagāyā udare gṛhītaḥ

stanyena vṛddhaś ca vilajjate yāṁ

bhāryeti vā voḍhum iḍaspatir mām

Translation

Sunīti said: My dear boy, whatever has been spoken by Suruci is so, because the King, your father, does not consider me his wife or even his maidservant. He feels ashamed to accept me. Therefore it is a fact that you have taken birth from the womb of an unfortunate woman, and by being fed from her breast you have grown up.

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.

Sunīti Acknowledges Her Painful Position

  1. 1

    Sunīti told her son that Suruci’s words reflected her unfortunate position.

  2. 2

    She said that the King did not consider her his wife or even his maidservant and felt ashamed to accept her.

  3. 3

    She acknowledged that her son had taken birth from her womb and grown by drinking her breast milk.

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. satyamtruth
  2. surucyāby Queen Suruci
  3. abhihitamnarrated
  4. bhavānunto you
  5. meof me
  6. yatbecause
  7. durbhagāyāḥof the unfortunate
  8. udarein the womb
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “father”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I listen with care when someone speaks honestly about feeling rejected?

Practice

When someone shares a painful circumstance today, listen without dismissing what they say.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySunīti Acknowledges Her Painful PositionThis 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 4.8.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories