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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
4.8.514.8.53

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.52

Mukti· Liberation
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

एवं भगवतो रूपं सुभद्रं ध्यायतो मन: ।

निर्वृत्या परया तूर्णं सम्पन्नं न निवर्तते ॥ ५२ ॥

evaṁ bhagavato rūpaṁ

subhadraṁ dhyāyato manaḥ

nirvṛtyā parayā tūrṇaṁ

sampannaṁ na nivartate

Translation

One who meditates in this way, concentrating his mind upon the always auspicious form of the Lord, is very soon freed from all material contamination, and he does not come down from meditation upon the Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Service Makes Meditation Steady

  1. 1

    Meditation on the Lord’s auspicious form frees one from material contamination. Fixed meditation on Him is called samādhi, or trance.

  2. 2

    A person constantly engaged in the Lord’s transcendental loving service cannot be diverted from meditating on His form.

  3. 3

    The arcana-mārga, the devotional path of Deity worship prescribed in the Pañcarātra system, helps the devotee think constantly of the Lord. Steadiness in His service perfects the mission of human life.

Key points from the purport
  • A person constantly engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord cannot be deviated from meditating on the form of the Lord, as described herein.
  • The arcana-mārga, or the devotional path prescribed in the Pañcarātra system of devotional service for worshiping the Deity in the temple, makes the devotee think constantly of the Lord; that is samādhi, or trance.
  • One who practices in this way cannot deviate from the service of the Lord, and that makes him perfect in the mission of human life.

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. evamthus
  2. bhagavataḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. rūpamform
  4. su-bhadramvery auspicious
  5. dhyāyataḥmeditating
  6. manaḥthe mind
  7. nirvṛtyābeing freed from all material contamination
  8. parayātranscendental
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”, “devotee”, “worship”

  • 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”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might I approach devotional service as an opportunity to remember the Lord constantly?

Practice

Set aside one quiet minute today to concentrate on the Lord’s auspicious form.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service Makes Meditation SteadyThis 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 4.8.52? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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