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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
4.8.64.8.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
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

प्रियव्रतोत्तानपादौ शतरूपापते: सुतौ ।

वासुदेवस्य कलया रक्षायां जगत: स्थितौ ॥ ७ ॥

priyavratottānapādau

śatarūpā-pateḥ sutau

vāsudevasya kalayā

rakṣāyāṁ jagataḥ sthitau

Translation

Svāyambhuva Manu had two sons by his wife, Śatarūpā, and the names of the sons were Uttānapāda and Priyavrata. Because both of them were descendants of a plenary expansion of Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, they were very competent to rule the universe to maintain and protect the citizens.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Divine Empowerment Serves Protection and Maintenance

  1. 1

    Svāyambhuva Manu and Śatarūpā had two sons, Uttānapāda and Priyavrata.

  2. 2

    Both kings were specifically empowered by Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. They were competent to maintain the universe and protect its citizens.

  3. 3

    Their empowerment differs from the position of King Ṛṣabha. He was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

Key points from the purport
  • It is said that these two kings, Uttānapāda and Priyavrata, were specifically empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, unlike the great King Ṛṣabha, who was the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself.

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. priyavrataPriyavrata
  2. uttānapādauUttānapāda
  3. śatarūpā-pateḥof Queen Śatarūpā and her husband, Manu
  4. sutauthe two sons
  5. vāsudevasyaof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  6. kalayāby plenary expansion
  7. rakṣāyāmfor the protection
  8. jagataḥof the world
  9. sthitaufor the maintenance
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “citizens”, “kings”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “protect”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I use the abilities entrusted to me to care for others?

Practice

Carry out one small responsibility today that helps protect or maintain someone in your care.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.8's connections

Live this todayDivine Empowerment Serves Protection and MaintenanceThis 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 4.8.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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