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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.29

Who is speaking and story frame

परितुष्येत्ततस्तात तावन्मात्रेण पूरुष: ।

दैवोपसादितं यावद्वीक्ष्येश्वरगतिं बुध: ॥ २९ ॥

parituṣyet tatas tāta

tāvan-mātreṇa pūruṣaḥ

daivopasāditaṁ yāvad

vīkṣyeśvara-gatiṁ budhaḥ

Translation

The process of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is very wonderful. One who is intelligent should accept that process and be satisfied with whatever comes, favorable or unfavorable, by His supreme will.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Depend on the Lord’s Mercy

  1. 1

    An intelligent person accepts the Supreme Lord’s arrangement and remains satisfied with favorable or unfavorable circumstances. Such intelligence goes beyond the bodily conception of life.

  2. 2

    A devotee accepts reverses as gifts of the Supreme Lord. Even in distress, the devotee sees His mercy and offers repeated obeisances with body, mind, and intellect.

  3. 3

    Contentment rests on dependence upon the Lord’s mercy. Nārada therefore instructed Dhruva to be satisfied in all circumstances.

Key points from the purport
  • The great sage Nārada instructed Dhruva Mahārāja that one should be satisfied in all circumstances.
  • Everyone who is intelligent should know that because of our concept of bodily existence, we are subjected to suffering and enjoyment.
  • An intelligent person, therefore, should be always satisfied, depending on the mercy of the Lord.

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. parituṣyetone should be satisfied
  2. tataḥtherefore
  3. tātamy dear boy
  4. tāvatup to such
  5. mātreṇaquality
  6. pūruṣaḥa person
  7. daivadestiny
  8. upasāditamoffered by
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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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “favorable”, “mercy”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could dependence on the Lord’s mercy change my response to a setback?

Practice

When a small difficulty arises today, offer respectful obeisances to the Lord and remember your dependence on His mercy.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDepend on the Lord’s MercyThis 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 4.8.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.