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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
4.9.274.9.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 4.9.28inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

विदुर उवाच

सुदुर्लभं यत्परमं पदं हरे-

र्मायाविनस्तच्चरणार्चनार्जितम् ।

लब्ध्वाप्यसिद्धार्थमिवैकजन्मना

कथं स्वमात्मानममन्यतार्थवित् ॥ २८ ॥

vidura uvāca

sudurlabhaṁ yat paramaṁ padaṁ harer

māyāvinas tac-caraṇārcanārjitam

labdhvāpy asiddhārtham ivaika-janmanā

kathaṁ svam ātmānam amanyatārtha-vit

Translation

Śrī Vidura inquired: My dear brāhmaṇa, the abode of the Lord is very difficult to attain. It can be attained only by pure devotional service, which alone pleases the most affectionate, merciful Lord. Dhruva Mahārāja achieved this position even in one life, and he was very wise and conscientious. Why, then, was he not very pleased?

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Accept the Lord as Life and Soul

  1. 1

    The Lord's abode is very difficult to attain and can be attained only by pure devotional service. Such service pleases the most affectionate, merciful Lord.

  2. 2

    The purport describes an artha-vit as someone who distinguishes reality from unreality. Such a person is also called a paramahaṁsa.

  3. 3

    A paramahaṁsa accepts the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his life and soul, setting aside external, material things. Dhruva Mahārāja belonged to this category, so Vidura asked why he remained dissatisfied.

Key points from the purport
  • A paramahaṁsa accepts only the active principle of everything.
  • Just as a swan accepts only the milk from a mixture of water and milk, a paramahaṁsa accepts only the Supreme Personality of Godhead as his life and soul, neglecting all external, material things.
  • Dhruva Mahārāja was in this category, and due to his determination he achieved the result he desired, but still, when he returned home he was not very pleased.

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. viduraḥ uvācaVidura continued to inquire
  2. sudurlabhamvery rare
  3. yatthat which
  4. paramamis the supreme
  5. padamsituation
  6. hareḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. māyā-vinaḥvery affectionate
  8. tatHis
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “merciful”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “inquired”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would it mean for me to place the Supreme Personality of Godhead at the center of my life?

Practice

Set aside one nonessential material activity today and use that time for devotional service.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAccept the Lord as Life and SoulThis 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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