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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.15

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वं नित्यमुक्तपरिशुद्धविबुद्ध आत्मा

कूटस्थ आदिपुरुषो भगवांस्त्र्यधीश: ।

यद्बुद्ध्यवस्थितिमखण्डितया स्वद‍ृष्टय‍ा

द्रष्टा स्थितावधिमखो व्यतिरिक्त आस्से ॥ १५ ॥

tvaṁ nitya-mukta-pariśuddha-vibuddha ātmā

kūṭa-stha ādi-puruṣo bhagavāṁs try-adhīśaḥ

yad-buddhy-avasthitim akhaṇḍitayā sva-dṛṣṭyā

draṣṭā sthitāv adhimakho vyatirikta āsse

Translation

My Lord, by Your unbroken transcendental glance You are the supreme witness of all stages of intellectual activities. You are eternally liberated, Your existence is situated in pure goodness, and You are existent in the Supersoul without change. You are the original Personality of Godhead, full with six opulences, and You are eternally the master of the three modes of material nature. Thus, You are always different from the ordinary living entities. As Lord Viṣṇu, You maintain all the affairs of the entire universe, and yet You stand aloof and are the enjoyer of the results of all sacrifices.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Lord Is Always Transcendental

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternally liberated and the master of the three modes of material nature. Unlike conditioned living entities, He is never contaminated by them.

  2. 2

    The Lord knows past, present and future, and everything happening in everyone’s heart. He is the unchangeable Supreme Soul, and living entities are His parts and parcels.

  3. 3

    The Lord maintains the whole creation and is the rightful enjoyer of all sacrifices. Our original position is to serve Him with our life, riches, intelligence and words.

Key points from the purport
  • Dhruva Mahārāja is carefully distinguishing the existence of the Supreme Personality of Godhead from that of the living entities.
  • In Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā: the living entities are all entangled in the three modes of material nature.
  • One should never compare the sleeping of an ordinary living entity to the sleeping of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the Causal Ocean.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 4.9.15 quotesBG 7.14

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.14) it is said, daivī hy eṣā guṇamayī mama māyā duratyayā: the living entities are all entangled in the three modes of material nature.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 9: Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home

The Lord grants Dhruva’s desire; Dhruva regrets his former hostility and returns to his family.

Back to this verse in chapter 4.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. nityaeternally
  3. muktaliberated
  4. pariśuddhauncontaminated
  5. vibuddhaḥfull of knowledge
  6. ātmāthe Supreme Soul
  7. kūṭa-sthaḥchangeless
  8. ādioriginal
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “contaminated”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I use my intelligence or words in the Lord’s service rather than only for myself?

Practice

Offer a short prayer using your own words to acknowledge the Lord as your maintainer.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is Always TranscendentalThis 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 4.9.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.