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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
4.8.394.8.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.40

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.8.40inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

नारद उवाच

जनन्याभिहित: पन्था: स वै नि:श्रेयसस्य ते ।

भगवान् वासुदेवस्तं भज तं प्रवणात्मना ॥ ४० ॥

nārada uvāca

jananyābhihitaḥ panthāḥ

sa vai niḥśreyasasya te

bhagavān vāsudevas taṁ

bhaja taṁ pravaṇātmanā

Translation

The great sage Nārada told Dhruva Mahārāja: The instruction given by your mother, Sunīti, to follow the path of devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is just suitable for you. You should therefore completely absorb yourself in the devotional service of the Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Absorb Yourself in Devotional Service to Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Nārada confirmed Sunīti's instruction: Dhruva should fully absorb himself in devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Demigods offer temporary benedictions and could not fulfill Dhruva's extraordinary demand. Both Sunīti and Nārada directed him to worship Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva, whose gifts exceed a devotee's expectations.

  3. 3

    The spiritual master's duty is to engage the disciple in proper devotional service prescribed in the śāstras. Nārada therefore asked Dhruva to undergo devotional discipline rather than simply granting his wish.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore Nārada Muni asked Dhruva Mahārāja to follow the path recommended by his mother — to worship Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva.
  • Both Sunīti and Nārada Muni knew that the demand of Dhruva Mahārāja was impossible for any demigod to fulfill, and therefore both of them recommended following the process of devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • In the same way, Nārada Muni asked Dhruva Mahārāja to undergo devotional discipline in order to achieve the desired result.

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. nāradaḥ uvācathe great sage Nārada said
  2. jananyāby your mother
  3. abhihitaḥstated
  4. panthāḥthe path
  5. saḥthat
  6. vaicertainly
  7. niḥśreyasasyathe ultimate goal of life
  8. tefor you
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: “devotional service”, “devotee's”, “worship”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “duty”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I seeking only a result, or am I willing to accept the discipline of devotional service?

Practice

Give five undistracted minutes today to a devotional practice you have been taught, focusing on serving Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAbsorb Yourself in Devotional Service to KṛṣṇaThis 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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