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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
4.9.634.9.65

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.64

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

वाप्यो वैदूर्यसोपाना: पद्मोत्पलकुमुद्वती: । हंसकारण्डवकुलैर्जुष्टाश्चक्राह्वसारसै: ॥ ६४ ॥

vāpyo vaidūrya-sopānāḥ

padmotpala-kumud-vatīḥ

haṁsa-kāraṇḍava-kulair

juṣṭāś cakrāhva-sārasaiḥ

Translation

There were emerald staircases which led to lakes full of variously colored lotus flowers and lilies, and swans, kāraṇḍavas, cakravākas, cranes and similar other valuable birds were visible in those lakes.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Healthy and Beautiful City

  1. 1

    The palace grounds included gardens and small man-made lakes filled with many-colored lotus flowers and lilies.

  2. 2

    Staircases made of valuable jewels such as emeralds led down to the lakes. Swans, cakravākas, kāraṇḍavas and cranes lived near the beautifully positioned garden houses.

  3. 3

    These birds generally do not live in filthy places. Their presence helps us imagine how healthy and beautiful the city’s atmosphere was.

Key points from the purport
  • It appears that not only was the palace surrounded by compounds and gardens with varieties of trees, but there were small man-made lakes also, where the water was full of many-colored lotus flowers and lilies, and to get down to the lakes there were staircases made of valuable jewels such as emeralds.
  • By the beautifully positioned garden houses there were many luxuriant birds, such as swans, cakravākas, kāraṇḍavas and cranes.
  • The atmosphere of the city was very healthy and beautiful; it can simply be imagined from its description.

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. vāpyaḥlakes
  2. vaidūryaemerald
  3. sopānāḥwith staircases
  4. padmalotuses
  5. utpalablue lotuses
  6. kumut-vatīḥfull of lilies
  7. haṁsaswans
  8. kāraṇḍavaand ducks
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this description help you appreciate about clean and beautiful surroundings?

Practice

Clean one small area around your home today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Healthy and Beautiful CityThis 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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