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
4.8.324.8.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.33

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.8.31inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

यस्य यद्दैवविहितं स तेन सुखदु:खयो: ।

आत्मानं तोषयन्देही तमस: पारमृच्छति ॥ ३३ ॥

yasya yad daiva-vihitaṁ

sa tena sukha-duḥkhayoḥ

ātmānaṁ toṣayan dehī

tamasaḥ pāram ṛcchati

Translation

One should try to keep himself satisfied in any condition of life — whether distress or happiness — which is offered by the supreme will. A person who endures in this way is able to cross over the darkness of nescience very easily.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Accept Circumstances and Surrender to the Lord

  1. 1

    Activities other than devotional service bring the happiness and distress of material existence.

  2. 2

    Material happiness diminishes the results of pious activities, while suffering diminishes the results of impious activities. We should not become attached to either condition.

  3. 3

    Whatever position comes by the Lord's will, we should accept it. Surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead frees us from the clutches of material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • Material existence consists of pious and impious fruitive activities.
  • When we enjoy life in so-called material happiness, it is to be understood that we are diminishing the resultant actions of our pious activities.
  • Instead of being attached to the circumstantial happiness and distress resulting from pious or impious activities, if we want to get out of the clutches of this nescience, then whatever position we are put in by the will of the Lord we should accept.

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. yasyaanyone
  2. yatthat which
  3. daivaby destiny
  4. vihitamdestined
  5. saḥsuch a person
  6. tenaby that
  7. sukha-duḥkhayoḥhappiness or distress
  8. ātmānamone’s self
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”, “suffering”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attached”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I remain steady in devotional service amid today's happiness or distress?

Practice

When a pleasant or unpleasant circumstance arises today, pause and offer a brief prayer of surrender to the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAccept Circumstances and Surrender to the LordOne of the 108 chosen lessons: a practice and a question from this verse

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 4.8.33? 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