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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
4.9.624.9.64

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.63

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 4.9.53inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

उद्यानानि च रम्याणि विचित्रैरमरद्रुमै: । कूजद्विहङ्गमिथुनैर्गायन्मत्तमधुव्रतै: ॥ ६३ ॥

udyānāni ca ramyāṇi

vicitrair amara-drumaiḥ

kūjat-vihaṅga-mithunair

gāyan-matta-madhuvrataiḥ

Translation

The King’s residence was surrounded by gardens wherein there were varieties of trees brought from the heavenly planets. In those trees there were pairs of sweetly singing birds and almost-mad bumblebees, which made a very relishable buzzing sound.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Heavenly Beauty Does Not Last Forever

  1. 1

    The palace gardens contained varieties of trees brought from the heavenly planets, with sweetly singing birds and humming bumblebees. Heavenly flowers and fruits are described as especially pleasant and tasteful.

  2. 2

    The heavenly planets are called Amaraloka because death there is greatly delayed. Yet the demigods return to earth when the results of their pious activities are exhausted.

  3. 3

    The purport describes Lord Kṛṣṇa bringing a pārijāta tree from heaven to earth. It was planted in His palace occupied by Queen Satyabhāmā.

Key points from the purport
  • In this verse the word amara-drumaiḥ, “with trees brought from the heavenly planets,” is very significant.
  • Of course, here on this earth there are many trees which live for ten thousand years, so what to speak of the trees on the heavenly planets?
  • The flower and fruit trees in the heavenly planets are superior, for they are very pleasant and tasteful, and it appears that in the palace of Mahārāja Uttānapāda there were many varieties of such trees.

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. udyānānigardens
  2. caalso
  3. ramyāṇivery beautiful
  4. vicitraiḥvarious
  5. amara-drumaiḥwith trees brought from the heavenly planets
  6. kūjatsinging
  7. vihaṅgaof birds
  8. mithunaiḥwith pairs
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’s”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “sweetly”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the temporary nature of heavenly life teach you about seeking lasting fulfillment in enjoyment?

Practice

While appreciating a tree or flower today, pause to remember that even heavenly enjoyment eventually ends.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHeavenly Beauty Does Not Last ForeverThis 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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