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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.
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Canto 4 · Chapter 9: Dhruva Mahārāja Returns Home
4.9.39-404.9.42-43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.41

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

सुनीति: सुरुचिश्चास्य महिष्यौ रुक्‍मभूषिते । आरुह्य शिबिकां सार्धमुत्तमेनाभिजग्मतु: ॥ ४१ ॥

sunītiḥ suruciś cāsya

mahiṣyau rukma-bhūṣite

āruhya śibikāṁ sārdham

uttamenābhijagmatuḥ

Translation

Both the queens of King Uttānapāda, namely Sunīti and Suruci, along with his other son, Uttama, appeared in the procession. The queens were seated on a palanquin.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Compassion Includes Others in Our Joy

  1. 1

    After Dhruva’s departure, the King was deeply afflicted, though Nārada’s kind words gave him some comfort. Sunīti’s good fortune and Suruci’s misfortune were clear in the palace.

  2. 2

    When news came that Dhruva was returning, Sunīti did not hesitate to take Suruci and Uttama on the same palanquin.

  3. 3

    This compassionate act showed Sunīti’s greatness as the mother of the great Vaiṣṇava Dhruva Mahārāja.

Key points from the purport
  • After the departure of Dhruva Mahārāja from the palace, the King was very afflicted, but by the kind words of Saint Nārada he was partially satisfied.
  • He could understand the great fortune of his wife Sunīti and the great misfortune of Queen Suruci, for these facts were certainly very open in the palace.
  • But still, when the news reached the palace that Dhruva Mahārāja was returning, his mother, Sunīti, out of her great compassion and due to being the mother of a great Vaiṣṇava, did not hesitate to take the other wife, Suruci, and her son, Uttama, on the same palanquin.

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. sunītiḥQueen Sunīti
  2. suruciḥQueen Suruci
  3. caalso
  4. asyaof the King
  5. mahiṣyauqueens
  6. rukma-bhūṣitebeing decorated with golden ornaments
  7. āruhyagetting on
  8. śibikāma palanquin
3

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “compassionate”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “mother”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Whom could I include in a joyful occasion instead of leaving them apart?

Practice

Include someone you might otherwise overlook in one happy moment today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCompassion Includes Others in Our JoyThis 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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