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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
4.8.54.8.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.6

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.8.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

अथात: कीर्तये वंशं पुण्यकीर्ते: कुरूद्वह ।

स्वायम्भुवस्यापि मनोर्हरेरंशांशजन्मन: ॥ ६ ॥

athātaḥ kīrtaye vaṁśaṁ

puṇya-kīrteḥ kurūdvaha

svāyambhuvasyāpi manor

harer aṁśāṁśa-janmanaḥ

Translation

Maitreya continued: O best of the Kuru dynasty, I shall now describe to you the descendants of Svāyambhuva Manu, who was born of a part of a plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Turn Attention Toward Pious Lives

  1. 1

    Brahmā is a living being empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead and is therefore considered His plenary expansion. When no suitable living being is available, the Supreme Lord Himself appears as Brahmā.

  2. 2

    Svāyambhuva Manu was Brahmā’s direct son. His descendants are widely celebrated for their pious activities.

  3. 3

    After describing the descendants of impiety, Maitreya turns to these pious descendants. He will relate the life of Dhruva Mahārāja, described as the most pious king within this universe.

Key points from the purport
  • Although Brahmā is jīva-tattva, he is empowered by the Lord, and therefore he is considered a plenary expansion of the Supreme Godhead.
  • Brahmā is the plenary expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and Svāyambhuva Manu was the direct son of Brahmā.
  • The great sage Maitreya is now going to explain about the descendants of this Manu, all of whom are widely celebrated for their pious activities.

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. athanow
  2. ataḥhereafter
  3. kīrtayeI shall describe
  4. vaṁśamdynasty
  5. puṇya-kīrteḥcelebrated for virtuous activities
  6. kuru-udvahaO best of the Kurus
  7. svāyambhuvasyaof Svāyambhuva
  8. apieven
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “king”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How much attention do I give to hearing about pious lives?

Practice

Set aside a few quiet minutes today to begin hearing or reading about Dhruva Mahārāja’s life.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTurn Attention Toward Pious LivesThis 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 4.8.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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