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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
4.8.454.8.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.46

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 4.8.46inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तरुणं रमणीयाङ्गमरुणोष्ठेक्षणाधरम् ।

प्रणताश्रयणं नृम्णं शरण्यं करुणार्णवम् ॥ ४६ ॥

taruṇaṁ ramaṇīyāṅgam

aruṇoṣṭhekṣaṇādharam

praṇatāśrayaṇaṁ nṛmṇaṁ

śaraṇyaṁ karuṇārṇavam

Translation

Nārada Muni continued: The Lord’s form is always youthful. Every limb and every part of His body is properly formed, free from defect. His eyes and lips are pinkish like the rising sun. He is always prepared to give shelter to the surrendered soul, and anyone so fortunate as to look upon Him feels all satisfaction. The Lord is always worthy to be the master of the surrendered soul, for He is the ocean of mercy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Merciful Lord Is Worthy of Surrender

  1. 1

    The Lord’s form is eternally youthful and free from defect. He is an ocean of mercy, always ready to shelter the surrendered soul.

  2. 2

    Material surrender is imperfect because both its recipients and our motives are imperfect. Surrender to the Lord is voluntary, and He is fully worthy to receive it.

  3. 3

    Nārada Muni’s description of the Lord is not imaginary. The Lord’s form is known through authoritative descriptions passed down in disciplic succession.

Key points from the purport
  • But here the surrendering process is voluntary, and the Lord is worthy to accept the surrender.
  • Māyāvādī philosophers say that we have to imagine the form of the Lord, but here Nārada Muni does not say that.
  • The description is given through disciplic succession, just like that given by Nārada Muni, who sees the Lord and describes His bodily features.

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. taruṇamyouthful
  2. ramaṇīyaattractive
  3. aṅgamall parts of the body
  4. aruṇa-oṣṭhalips pinkish like the rising sun
  5. īkṣaṇa-adharameyes of the same nature
  6. praṇataone who is surrendered
  7. āśrayaṇamshelter of the surrendered
  8. nṛmṇamtranscendentally pleasing in all respects
3

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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “shelter”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “free from”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “mercy”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What motives might I need to let go of to surrender more willingly to the Lord?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking the merciful Lord for shelter and a more willing heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Merciful Lord Is Worthy of SurrenderThis 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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