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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
4.8.434.8.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.44

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.8.43inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

प्राणायामेन त्रिवृता प्राणेन्द्रियमनोमलम् ।

शनैर्व्युदस्याभिध्यायेन्मनसा गुरुणा गुरुम् ॥ ४४ ॥

prāṇāyāmena tri-vṛtā

prāṇendriya-mano-malam

śanair vyudasyābhidhyāyen

manasā guruṇā gurum

Translation

After sitting on your seat, practice the three kinds of breathing exercises, and thus gradually control the life air, the mind and the senses. Completely free yourself from all material contamination, and with great patience begin to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fix the Mind Through Holy Names

  1. 1

    Breathing exercises are meant to control the fickle, wandering mind. For the present age, the purport recommends fixing the mind directly on the Lord’s lotus feet by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s holy names are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Continued chanting naturally absorbs the mind in thought of Him.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the supreme spiritual master, helping from within as the Supersoul and from without through the spiritual master. The goal of meditation is to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead within.

Key points from the purport
  • If one goes on chanting the holy names of the Lord, which are not different from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, naturally his mind becomes absorbed in thought of the Lord.
  • The supreme spiritual master is Kṛṣṇa, who is therefore known as caitya-guru.
  • Whether one comes to that stage by the aṣṭāṅga-yoga system or by the method recommended in the śāstras especially for this present age — to constantly chant the holy name of the Lord — the goal is to meditate on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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. prāṇāyāmenaby breathing exercises
  2. tri-vṛtāby the three recommended ways
  3. prāṇa-indriyathe life air and the senses
  4. manaḥmind
  5. malamimpurity
  6. śanaiḥgradually
  7. vyudasyagiving up
  8. abhidhyāyetmeditate upon
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “contamination”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “chanting”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When my mind wanders, how can I patiently return it to the Lord’s holy names?

Practice

Chant Hare Kṛṣṇa for two minutes, listening carefully to the sound and thinking of the Lord’s lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFix the Mind Through Holy NamesThis 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 4.8.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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