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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
4.9.74.9.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 4.9.8

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Dhruva Mahārājasince 4.9.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्वद्दत्तया वयुनयेदमचष्ट विश्वं

सुप्तप्रबुद्ध इव नाथ भवत्प्रपन्न: ।

तस्यापवर्ग्यशरणं तव पादमूलं

विस्मर्यते कृतविदा कथमार्तबन्धो ॥ ८ ॥

tvad-dattayā vayunayedam acaṣṭa viśvaṁ

supta-prabuddha iva nātha bhavat-prapannaḥ

tasyāpavargya-śaraṇaṁ tava pāda-mūlaṁ

vismaryate kṛta-vidā katham ārta-bandho

Translation

O my master, Lord Brahmā is fully surrendered unto You. In the beginning You gave him knowledge, and thus he could see and understand the entire universe, just as a person awakens from sleep and visualizes his immediate duties. You are the only shelter of all persons who desire liberation, and You are the friend of all who are distressed. How, therefore, can a learned person who has perfect knowledge ever forget You?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Friend of the Distressed

  1. 1

    The Lord gave knowledge to the surrendered Lord Brahmā so that he could understand the universe. Spiritual enlightenment is like awakening from sleep.

  2. 2

    The more a devotee serves with love and affection, the more the Lord supplies encouragement and intelligence from within. The devotee remains grateful for this mercy and does not forget Him.

  3. 3

    The Lord is ārta-bandhu, the friend of the distressed, and the shelter of those seeking liberation. Real knowledge leads one to surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • In the Bhagavad-gītā the Lord says that to those who are constantly engaged in devotional service with love and affection, the Supreme Personality of Godhead gives intelligence from within and thus they may make further progress.
  • A devotee, therefore, never forgets the benefit derived from the Lord.
  • The devotee in perfect knowledge cannot forget his obligation to the Lord at any moment.

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. tvat-dattayāgiven by You
  2. vayunayāby knowledge
  3. idamthis
  4. acaṣṭacould see
  5. viśvamwhole universe
  6. supta-prabuddhaḥa man rising from sleep
  7. ivalike
  8. nāthaO my Lord
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 4.9

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “shelter”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distressed”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What benefit in your devotional life can you remember with gratitude to the Lord?

Practice

Pause today to thank the Lord for one opportunity to engage in devotional service.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 4.9's connections

Live this todayRemember the Friend of the DistressedThis 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 4.9.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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