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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
4.9.364.9.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.37

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.9.36inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

आकर्ण्यात्मजमायान्तं सम्परेत्य यथागतम् । राजा न श्रद्दधे भद्रमभद्रस्य कुतो मम ॥ ३७ ॥

ākarṇyātma-jam āyāntaṁ

samparetya yathāgatam

rājā na śraddadhe bhadram

abhadrasya kuto mama

Translation

When King Uttānapāda heard that his son Dhruva was coming back home, as if coming back to life after death, he could not put his faith in this message, for he was doubtful of how it could happen. He considered himself the most wretched, and therefore he thought that it was not possible for him to attain such good fortune.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Regret Made Good News Hard to Believe

  1. 1

    King Uttānapāda could not believe that his five-year-old son had survived in the forest. Hearing of Dhruva’s return seemed like hearing that someone had returned from death.

  2. 2

    The King considered himself responsible for Dhruva’s departure. He therefore regarded himself as most wretched.

  3. 3

    His sense of sinfulness made him doubt that such good fortune could be his. He struggled to believe that he would receive his lost son again.

Key points from the purport
  • He therefore could not fix his faith in the message that Dhruva Mahārāja was coming back home again.
  • After Dhruva Mahārāja’s departure from home, King Uttānapāda thought that he was the cause of Dhruva’s leaving, and thus he considered himself the most wretched.
  • Therefore, even though it was possible that his lost son was coming back from the kingdom of death, he thought that since he was most sinful it was not possible for him to be so fortunate as to get back his lost son.

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. ākarṇyahaving heard
  2. ātma-jamhis son
  3. āyāntamcoming back
  4. samparetyaafter dying
  5. yathāas if
  6. āgatamcoming back
  7. rājāKing Uttānapāda
  8. nadid not
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Does regret ever make it difficult for me to accept good news?

Practice

Reflect briefly on one regret, noticing whether it makes you dismiss something good in your life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRegret Made Good News Hard to BelieveThis 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 4.9.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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