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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
4.9.234.9.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.24

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Lordsince 4.9.24inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

इष्ट्वा मां यज्ञहृदयं यज्ञै: पुष्कलदक्षिणै: ।

भुक्त्वा चेहाशिष: सत्या अन्ते मां संस्मरिष्यसि ॥ २४ ॥

iṣṭvā māṁ yajña-hṛdayaṁ

yajñaiḥ puṣkala-dakṣiṇaiḥ

bhuktvā cehāśiṣaḥ satyā

ante māṁ saṁsmariṣyasi

Translation

The Lord continued: I am the heart of all sacrifices. You will be able to perform many great sacrifices and also give great charities. In this way you will be able to enjoy the blessings of material happiness in this life, and at the time of your death you will be able to remember Me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Kṛṣṇa Through Chanting and Service

  1. 1

    Spiritual activities are successful if we can remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead at the end of life. The Lord assured Dhruva Mahārāja that he would never forget Him.

  2. 2

    In this Age of Kali, the great sacrifice is saṅkīrtana-yajña. By continuously chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra, we prepare to remember Kṛṣṇa at the end of life.

  3. 3

    Dhruva Mahārāja would enjoy material blessings through great sacrifices, not sense gratification. In this age, distributing kṛṣṇa-prasāda is more valuable than distributing money.

Key points from the purport
  • The most important factor in this verse is the Lord’s instructions regarding how to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead at the end of life.
  • Thus at the time of his death he would remember the Supreme Lord, and before his death he would enjoy this material world, not by sense gratification, but by performing great sacrifices.
  • Then at the end of our lives we shall certainly be able to remember Kṛṣṇa, and our program of life will be successful.

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. iṣṭvāafter worshiping
  2. māmMe
  3. yajña-hṛdayamthe heart of all sacrifices
  4. yajñaiḥby great sacrifices
  5. puṣkala-dakṣiṇaiḥcomprehending distribution of great charities
  6. bhuktvāafter enjoying
  7. caalso
  8. ihawithin this world
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”, “sense gratification”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “blessings”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What tends to interrupt my remembrance of Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra attentively.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Kṛṣṇa Through Chanting and ServiceThis 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 4.9.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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