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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 8: Dhruva Mahārāja Leaves Home for the Forest
4.8.224.8.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.23

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sunītisince 4.8.20inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

नान्यं तत: पद्मपलाशलोचनाद्

दु:खच्छिदं ते मृगयामि कञ्चन ।

यो मृग्यते हस्तगृहीतपद्मया

श्रियेतरैरङ्ग विमृग्यमाणया ॥ २३ ॥

nānyaṁ tataḥ padma-palāśa-locanād

duḥkha-cchidaṁ te mṛgayāmi kañcana

yo mṛgyate hasta-gṛhīta-padmayā

śriyetarair aṅga vimṛgyamāṇayā

Translation

My dear Dhruva, as far as I am concerned, I do not find anyone who can mitigate your distress but the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose eyes are like lotus petals. Many demigods such as Lord Brahmā seek the pleasure of the goddess of fortune, but the goddess of fortune herself, with a lotus flower in her hand, is always ready to render service to the Supreme Lord.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek Lasting Shelter in the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Benedictions from the demigods are temporary, whereas spiritual benediction is permanent because the soul is eternal. Sunīti advised Dhruva to approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly.

  2. 2

    Even the goddess of fortune, Mahā-Lakṣmī, seeks the Supreme Lord’s pleasure. Those who worship Him also receive her blessings.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee does not seek material advancement from the Lord. Yet someone approaching Him for material gain can gradually become purified, free from material desires, and elevated to spiritual life.

Key points from the purport
  • Material opulences are controlled by the Supreme Personality of Godhead through His different potencies and specifically the goddess of fortune.
  • Even the highly placed demigods worship the goddess of fortune, but the goddess of fortune, Mahā-Lakṣmī herself, is always seeking the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Anyone, therefore, who takes to the worship of the Supreme Lord automatically receives the blessings of the goddess of fortune.

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. na anyamno others
  2. tataḥtherefore
  3. padma-palāśa-locanātfrom the lotus-eyed Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. duḥkha-chidamone who can mitigate others’ difficulties
  5. teyour
  6. mṛgayāmiI am searching after
  7. kañcanaanyone else
  8. yaḥwho
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “worship”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking only temporary relief, or also purification through service to the Lord?

Practice

Bring one concern to the Supreme Lord in prayer today, and ask to become free from material desires through His service.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek Lasting Shelter in the Supreme LordThis 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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