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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 9: Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home
4.9.164.9.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.17

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Dhruva Mahārājasince 4.9.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सत्याशिषो हि भगवंस्तव पादपद्म-

माशीस्तथानुभजत: पुरुषार्थमूर्ते: ।

अप्येवमर्य भगवान्परिपाति दीनान्

वाश्रेव वत्सकमनुग्रहकातरोऽस्मान् ॥ १७ ॥

satyāśiṣo hi bhagavaṁs tava pāda-padmam

āśīs tathānubhajataḥ puruṣārtha-mūrteḥ

apy evam arya bhagavān paripāti dīnān

vāśreva vatsakam anugraha-kātaro ’smān

Translation

My Lord, O Supreme Lord, You are the supreme personified form of all benediction. Therefore, for one who abides in Your devotional service with no other desire, worshiping Your lotus feet is better than becoming king and lording it over a kingdom. That is the benediction of worshiping Your lotus feet. To ignorant devotees like me, You are the causelessly merciful maintainer, just like a cow, who takes care of the newly born calf by supplying milk and giving it protection from attack.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Loving Service Is the Highest Benediction

  1. 1

    Pure devotional service is unmotivated and is not covered by mental speculation or fruitive activities. Dhruva Mahārāja recognized that his desire for his father’s kingdom had mixed a material motive into his worship.

  2. 2

    The Lord mercifully protects His devotee, just as a cow nourishes and protects her calf. When a devotee is sincere, Kṛṣṇa guides him despite his faults and gradually elevates his devotional service.

  3. 3

    The ultimate goal is to understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead and remain engaged in His loving service. Rather than asking for material benefits, one should seek protection from desires that lead away from devotion.

Key points from the purport
  • Dhruva Mahārāja knew that he had come to worship the Lord in devotional service with a motive — to get the kingdom of his father.
  • Lord Caitanya therefore taught us not to ask from the Supreme Personality any benediction such as material wealth, popularity or a good wife.
  • Dhruva Mahārāja, being cognizant of his desire for material benefit, wanted protection from the Lord so that he might not be misled or deviated from the path of devotional service by material desires.

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 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. satyareal
  2. āśiṣaḥcompared with other benedictions
  3. hicertainly
  4. bhagavanmy Lord
  5. tavaYour
  6. pāda-padmamlotus feet
  7. āśīḥbenediction
  8. tathāin that way
3

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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 4.9

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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “merciful”, “causelessly”, “mercifully”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What material expectation might be mixed into my worship of the Lord?

Practice

Pray today for constant loving service and protection from distracting material desires, without asking for a material reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLoving Service Is the Highest BenedictionThis 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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