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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
4.8.804.8.82

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.8.81

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 4.8.81inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

देवा ऊचु:

नैवं विदामो भगवन् प्राणरोधं

चराचरस्याखिलसत्त्वधाम्न: ।

विधेहि तन्नो वृजिनाद्विमोक्षं

प्राप्ता वयं त्वां शरणं शरण्यम् ॥ ८१ ॥

devā ūcuḥ

naivaṁ vidāmo bhagavan prāṇa-rodhaṁ

carācarasyākhila-sattva-dhāmnaḥ

vidhehi tan no vṛjinād vimokṣaṁ

prāptā vayaṁ tvāṁ śaraṇaṁ śaraṇyam

Translation

The demigods said: Dear Lord, You are the refuge of all moving and nonmoving living entities. We feel all living entities to be suffocating, their breathing processes choked up. We have never experienced such a thing. Since You are the ultimate shelter of all surrendered souls, we have therefore approached You; kindly save us from this danger.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter of the Lord in Difficulty

  1. 1

    The influence of Dhruva Mahārāja’s devotional service reached even the demigods. Facing an unfamiliar danger, they approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead for shelter.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead controls both material and spiritual entities and is master of both worlds. Therefore it is better to approach Him in every problematic situation.

  3. 3

    Fully surrendered devotees know how to use everything in the transcendental loving service of the Lord. In this way, everything in the world becomes very pleasing to them.

Key points from the purport
  • The demigods approached the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the controller of both kinds of entities, in order to know why their breathing was choked.
  • The Supreme Lord is the ultimate goal for the solution to all problems within this material world.
  • Therefore those who are devotees have no problems in this material world.

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. devāḥ ūcuḥall the demigods said
  2. nanot
  3. evamthus
  4. vidāmaḥwe can understand
  5. bhagavanO Personality of Godhead
  6. prāṇa-rodhamhow we feel our breathing choked
  7. caramoving
  8. acarasyanot moving
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “shelter”, “refuge”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.8

    In this verse: “kindly”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might taking shelter of the Lord change the way you respond to a difficulty today?

Practice

Offer a short prayer about one difficulty you face, asking the Lord to help you use the situation in His loving service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTake Shelter of the Lord in DifficultyThis 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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