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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
4.8.524.8.54

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.53

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

जपश्च परमो गुह्य: श्रूयतां मे नृपात्मज ।

यं सप्तरात्रं प्रपठन्पुमान् पश्यति खेचरान् ॥ ५३ ॥

japaś ca paramo guhyaḥ

śrūyatāṁ me nṛpātmaja

yaṁ sapta-rātraṁ prapaṭhan

pumān paśyati khecarān

Translation

O son of the King, now I shall speak unto you the mantra which is to be chanted with this process of meditation. One who carefully chants this mantra for seven nights can see the perfect human beings flying in the sky.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Chant Attentively and Hear the Lord’s Names

  1. 1

    Nārada Muni tells Dhruva Mahārāja that meditation on the Lord’s form together with careful mantra chanting enables one to see beings who fly in the sky within seven days. The inhabitants of Siddhaloka possess yogic perfections by nature.

  2. 2

    A mantra is confidential because merely finding it in print is not enough. It must be received through the disciplic succession to have efficacy.

  3. 3

    Chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the easiest process of meditation in this age. Rather than artificially trying to see the Lord, one should concentrate on hearing; through offenseless chanting, the Lord reveals Himself.

Key points from the purport
  • It is hinted herein by Nārada Muni to Dhruva Mahārāja that by meditating upon the transcendental form of the Lord and at the same time chanting the mantra one becomes so perfect within seven days that he can see the human beings who fly in the sky.
  • Chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra is the easiest process of meditation in this age.
  • As soon as one chants the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, he sees the forms of Kṛṣṇa, Rāma and Their energies, and that is the perfect stage of trance.

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. japaḥ cathe chanting mantra in this connection
  2. paramaḥvery, very
  3. guhyaḥconfidential
  4. śrūyatāmplease hear
  5. mefrom me
  6. nṛpa-ātmajaO son of the King
  7. yamwhich
  8. sapta-rātramseven nights
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanted”, “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “king”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “offenseless”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I chant, am I listening to the sound or trying to force an experience?

Practice

Chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra today for one minute, giving your attention to hearing each sound without forcing a mental image.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayChant Attentively and Hear the Lord’s 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.

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