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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
4.9.324.9.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.33

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

दैवीं मायामुपाश्रित्य प्रसुप्त इव भिन्नद‍ृक् । तप्ये द्वितीयेऽप्यसति भ्रातृभ्रातृव्यहृद्रुजा ॥ ३३ ॥

daivīṁ māyām upāśritya

prasupta iva bhinna-dṛk

tapye dvitīye ’py asati

bhrātṛ-bhrātṛvya-hṛd-rujā

Translation

Dhruva Mahārāja lamented: I was under the influence of the illusory energy; being ignorant of the actual facts, I was sleeping on her lap. Under a vision of duality, I saw my brother as my enemy, and falsely I lamented within my heart, thinking, “They are my enemies.”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

See Spirit Souls, Not Enemies

  1. 1

    By the Lord’s grace, a devotee comes to the right conclusion about life. Dhruva recognized that illusion had led him to see his brother as an enemy.

  2. 2

    Creating friends and enemies in material consciousness is compared to dreaming. These distinctions arise when we lack knowledge of the soul and the Supersoul.

  3. 3

    The truly learned see the person as a spirit soul rather than an external body. All living entities are spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of the Supreme Spirit.

Key points from the purport
  • In the same way, although apparently we are awake in material life, because we have no information of the soul and the Supersoul, we create many friends and enemies simply out of imagination.
  • Either materially or spiritually we are basically one, but we make friends and enemies as dictated by the illusory energy.
  • Dhruva Mahārāja therefore said, daivīṁ māyām upāśritya: the cause of his bewilderment was his association with the illusory material energy.

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. daivīmof the Personality of Godhead
  2. māyāmthe illusory energy
  3. upāśrityataking shelter of
  4. prasuptaḥdreaming while asleep
  5. ivalike
  6. bhinna-dṛkhaving separated vision
  7. tapyeI lamented
  8. dvitīyein the illusory energy
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “lamented”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “spirit soul”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would seeing someone as a spirit soul change my feelings toward them?

Practice

Think of one person you resent and remind yourself that this person, too, is a spiritual spark, part and parcel of God.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySee Spirit Souls, Not EnemiesThis 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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