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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 · Texts 4.9.20-21

Who is speaking and story frame

नान्यैरधिष्ठितं भद्र यद्भ्राजिष्णु ध्रुवक्षिति ।

यत्र ग्रहर्क्षताराणां ज्योतिषां चक्रमाहितम् ॥ २० ॥

मेढ्यां गोचक्रवत्स्थास्‍नु परस्तात्कल्पवासिनाम् ।

धर्मोऽग्नि: कश्यप: शुक्रो मुनयो ये वनौकस: ।

चरन्ति दक्षिणीकृत्य भ्रमन्तो यत्सतारका: ॥ २१ ॥

nānyair adhiṣṭhitaṁ bhadra

yad bhrājiṣṇu dhruva-kṣiti

yatra graharkṣa-tārāṇāṁ

jyotiṣāṁ cakram āhitam

meḍhyāṁ go-cakravat sthāsnu

parastāt kalpa-vāsinām

dharmo ’gniḥ kaśyapaḥ śukro

munayo ye vanaukasaḥ

caranti dakṣiṇī-kṛtya

bhramanto yat satārakāḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead continued: My dear Dhruva, I shall award you the glowing planet known as the polestar, which will continue to exist even after the dissolution at the end of the millennium. No one has ever ruled this planet, which is surrounded by all the solar systems, planets and stars. All the luminaries in the sky circumambulate this planet, just as bulls tread around a central pole for the purpose of crushing grains. Keeping the polestar to their right, all the stars inhabited by the great sages like Dharma, Agni, Kaśyapa and Śukra circumambulate this planet, which continues to exist even after the dissolution of all others.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Assures Dhruva’s Spiritual Destination

  1. 1

    Out of affection, the Lord awarded Dhruva Mahārāja the unique planet Dhruvaloka, which previously had no predominating deity. The purport compares this gift to a father satisfying his child’s unusual request.

  2. 2

    Dhruvaloka is described as the center around which the other stars and solar systems move. It remains even through the partial devastation during the night of Lord Brahmā.

  3. 3

    The Lord assured Dhruva that he would go to Vaikuṇṭhaloka at the complete dissolution of the universe. His promotion to the spiritual planets was guaranteed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Dhruvaloka, our polestar, is the center for all other stars and solar systems, for all of them circle around Dhruvaloka just as a bull crushes grains by walking around and around a central pole.
  • Thus at the end of the complete dissolution, Dhruva Mahārāja would go directly to Vaikuṇṭhaloka, to a spiritual planet in the spiritual sky.
  • In other words, Dhruva Mahārāja’s promotion to the Vaikuṇṭhalokas was guaranteed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. anyaiḥby others
  3. adhiṣṭhitamwas ruled
  4. bhadraMy good boy
  5. yatwhich
  6. bhrājiṣṇubrightly glowing
  7. dhruva-kṣitithe land known as Dhruvaloka
  8. yatrawhere
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “dharma”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “father”, “child’s”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to me about the Lord’s affection and His assurance of Dhruva’s spiritual destination?

Practice

Reread the Lord’s promise and offer a brief prayer of gratitude for His affectionate care.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Assures Dhruva’s Spiritual DestinationThis 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 4.9.20-21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.