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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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
4.9.294.9.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.30

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.9.29inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ध्रुव उवाच

समाधिना नैकभवेन यत्पदं

विदु: सनन्दादय ऊर्ध्वरेतस: ।

मासैरहं षड्‌भिरमुष्य पादयो-

श्छायामुपेत्यापगत: पृथङ्‍मति: ॥ ३० ॥

dhruva uvāca

samādhinā naika-bhavena yat padaṁ

viduḥ sanandādaya ūrdhva-retasaḥ

māsair ahaṁ ṣaḍbhir amuṣya pādayoś

chāyām upetyāpagataḥ pṛthaṅ-matiḥ

Translation

Dhruva Mahārāja thought to himself: To endeavor to be situated in the shade of the lotus feet of the Lord is not an ordinary task, because even the great brahmacārīs headed by Sanandana, who practiced aṣṭāṅga-yoga in trance, attained the shelter of the Lord’s lotus feet only after many, many births. Within six months I achieved the same result, yet due to my thinking differently from the Lord, I fell down from my position.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Let Go of Revenge and Material Ambition

  1. 1

    Seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead directly is not easy. Great saintly brahmacārīs headed by Sanandana practiced yoga in trance for many births before seeing Him.

  2. 2

    Dhruva Mahārāja saw the Supreme Lord after only six months of devotional service. He had hoped that the Lord would immediately take him to His abode.

  3. 3

    Dhruva Mahārāja understood that his long rule of the world answered his earlier desire for a kingdom and revenge. He deeply regretted his wish to rule and his revengeful attitude toward other living entities.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse Dhruva Mahārāja himself explains the cause of his moroseness.
  • Even great saintly persons like the four celebrated brahmacārīs headed by Sanandana — Sanandana, Sanaka, Sanātana and Sanat-kumāra — practiced the yoga system for many, many births and remained in trance before getting the opportunity to see the Supreme Lord face to face.
  • As far as Dhruva Mahārāja was concerned, he saw the Supreme Lord personally after only six months of practice in devotional service.

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. dhruvaḥ uvācaDhruva Mahārāja said
  2. samādhināby practicing yoga in trance
  3. nanever
  4. eka-bhavenaby one birth
  5. yatwhich
  6. padamposition
  7. viduḥunderstood
  8. sananda-ādayaḥthe four brahmacārīs headed by Sanandana
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “kingdom”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which ambition or resentment could distract me from seeking the Lord's shelter?

Practice

Identify one resentful thought today and offer a prayer to seek the Lord's shelter instead of revenge.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.9's connections

Live this todayLet Go of Revenge and Material AmbitionThis 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 4.9.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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