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Study a Verse

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
4.8.584.8.61

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 4.8.59-60

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

एवं कायेन मनसा वचसा च मनोगतम् ।

परिचर्यमाणो भगवान् भक्तिमत्परिचर्यया ॥ ५९ ॥

पुंसाममायिनां सम्यग्भजतां भाववर्धन: ।

श्रेयो दिशत्यभिमतं यद्धर्मादिषु देहिनाम् ॥ ६० ॥

evaṁ kāyena manasā

vacasā ca mano-gatam

paricaryamāṇo bhagavān

bhaktimat-paricaryayā

puṁsām amāyināṁ samyag

bhajatāṁ bhāva-vardhanaḥ

śreyo diśaty abhimataṁ

yad dharmādiṣu dehinām

Translation

Anyone who thus engages in the devotional service of the Lord, seriously and sincerely, with his mind, words and body, and who is fixed in the activities of the prescribed devotional methods, is blessed by the Lord according to his desire. If a devotee desires material religiosity, economic development, sense gratification or liberation from the material world, he is awarded these results.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve the Lord Seriously and Sincerely

  1. 1

    Devotional service engages the mind, words and body. The devotee should be sincere, serious and steady in the prescribed methods.

  2. 2

    Devotional service is so potent that the Supreme Personality of Godhead can award whatever benediction a devotee desires.

  3. 3

    Conditioned souls are attached to material benefits, especially religiosity and economic development. The Lord may grant these, sense gratification or liberation according to the devotee’s desire.

Key points from the purport
  • Devotional service is so potent that one who renders devotional service can receive whatever he likes as a benediction from the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The conditioned souls are very much attached to the material world, and thus by performing religious rites they want the material benefits known as dharma and artha.

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. kāyenaby the body
  3. manasāby the mind
  4. vacasāby the words
  5. caalso
  6. manaḥ-gatamsimply by thinking of the Lord
  7. paricaryamāṇaḥengaged in the devotional service
  8. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”, “attached”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “blessed”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What am I seeking when I serve the Lord?

Practice

Choose one act of devotional service today and do it with attentive thoughts, words and bodily effort.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayServe the Lord Seriously and SincerelyThis 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 4.8.59-60? Get an answer from the verses themselves.