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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
4.8.204.8.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.21

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sunītisince 4.8.20inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तथा मनुर्वो भगवान् पितामहो

यमेकमत्या पुरुदक्षिणैर्मखै: ।

इष्ट्वाभिपेदे दुरवापमन्यतो

भौमं सुखं दिव्यमथापवर्ग्यम् ॥ २१ ॥

tathā manur vo bhagavān pitāmaho

yam eka-matyā puru-dakṣiṇair makhaiḥ

iṣṭvābhipede duravāpam anyato

bhaumaṁ sukhaṁ divyam athāpavargyam

Translation

Sunīti informed her son: Your grandfather Svāyambhuva Manu executed great sacrifices with distribution of charity, and thereby, with unflinching faith and devotion, he worshiped and satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead. By acting in that way, he achieved the greatest success in material happiness and afterwards achieved liberation, which is impossible to obtain by worshiping the demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship the Supreme Lord Without Deviation

  1. 1

    Svāyambhuva Manu worshiped the Supreme Personality of Godhead through great sacrifices and charity, with unflinching devotion. His success came through the Lord’s grace.

  2. 2

    Eka-matyā means concentrating the mind on the Lord without deviation. Manu’s opulence was due to his undeviating faithfulness in the Lord’s transcendental service.

  3. 3

    Those seeking material happiness or liberation can worship the Supreme Lord. Liberation cannot be obtained by worshiping the demigods.

Key points from the purport
  • The success of one’s life is measured by one’s material happiness in this life and liberation in the next.
  • One who diverts his mind to worshiping many demigods to obtain material happiness is considered bereft of intelligence.
  • If anyone wants even material happiness, he can worship the Supreme Lord without deviation, and persons who are desirous of liberation can also worship the Supreme Lord and achieve their goal of life.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tathāsimilarly
  2. manuḥSvāyambhuva Manu
  3. vaḥyour
  4. bhagavānworshipable
  5. pitāmahaḥgrandfather
  6. yamunto whom
  7. eka-matyāwith unflinching devotion
  8. purugreat
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotion”, “worshiped”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “grace”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What distracts my mind from steady service to the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Set aside one quiet minute today to concentrate on the Supreme Lord without asking help from another source.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorship the Supreme Lord Without DeviationThis 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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