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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 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 8 · Chapter 4: Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World
8.4.11-128.4.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.4.13

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.4.11-12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं विमोक्ष्य गजयूथपमब्जनाभ-

स्तेनापि पार्षदगतिं गमितेन युक्त: ।

गन्धर्वसिद्धविबुधैरुपगीयमान-

कर्माद्भ‍ुतं स्वभवनं गरुडासनोऽगात् ॥ १३ ॥

evaṁ vimokṣya gaja-yūtha-pam abja-nābhas

tenāpi pārṣada-gatiṁ gamitena yuktaḥ

gandharva-siddha-vibudhair upagīyamāna-

karmādbhutaṁ sva-bhavanaṁ garuḍāsano ’gāt

Translation

Upon delivering the King of the elephants from the clutches of the crocodile, and from material existence, which resembles a crocodile, the Lord awarded him the status of sārūpya-mukti. In the presence of the Gandharvas, the Siddhas and the other demigods, who were praising the Lord for His wonderful transcendental activities, the Lord, sitting on the back of His carrier, Garuḍa, returned to His all-wonderful abode and took Gajendra with Him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Liberation Means Becoming the Lord’s Eternal Servant

  1. 1

    The Lord freed Gajendra from both the crocodile and material existence. He awarded him sārūpya-mukti and took him to His own abode.

  2. 2

    For a devotee, liberation means becoming the Lord’s eternal associate, not merging into His effulgence. In sārūpya-mukti, the devotee regains a spiritual body resembling the Lord’s and serves Him.

  3. 3

    A devotee who patiently continues devotional service through adverse conditions becomes a rightful candidate for the Lord’s mercy. Unalloyed service brings the right to enter Vaikuṇṭhaloka, just as a son inherits his father’s property.

Key points from the purport
  • When a devotee gets liberation, he becomes free from material contamination and engages as a servant of the Lord.
  • The difference between the mukti of the impersonalist and that of the devotee is that the devotee is immediately appointed an eternal servant of the Lord, whereas the impersonalist, although merging in the effulgence of the brahmajyoti, is still insecure and therefore generally falls again to this material world.
  • Although the impersonalist rises to the Brahman effulgence and enters into that effulgence, he has no engagement in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is again attracted to materialistic philanthropic activities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 8.4.13 quotesSB 10.14.8

In this regard, there is a relevant verse in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.14.8): “One who seeks Your compassion and thus tolerates all kinds of adverse conditions due to the karma of his past deeds, who engages always in Your devotional service with his mind, words and body, and who always offers obeisances unto You, is certainly a bona fide candidate for liberation.”

The purport of SB 8.4.13 quotesSB 2.10.6

This is explained in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.10.6): muktir hitvānyathā rūpaṁ svarūpena vyavasthitiḥ.

The purport of SB 8.4.13 quotesSB 10.2.32

Āruhya kṛcchreṇa paraṁ padaṁ tataḥ patanty adho ’nādṛta-yuṣmad-aṅghrayaḥ. Although the impersonalist rises to the Brahman effulgence and enters into that effulgence, he has no engagement in the service of the Lord, and therefore he is again attracted to materialistic philanthropic activities.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Helplessness → Surrender and rescue. A mighty animal finally realizes the limits of strength.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 8: Gajendra's struggle and prayers. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: Gajendra Returns to the Spiritual World

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This achievement is called sārūpya-mukti, or the liberation of receiving a spiritual body exactly like that of Nārāyaṇa. Gajendra, in his previous birth, had been a great devotee of Lord Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.4
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. vimokṣyadelivering
  3. gaja-yūtha-pamthe King of the elephants, Gajendra
  4. abja-nābhaḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whose navel sprouts a lotus flower
  5. tenaby him (Gajendra)
  6. apialso
  7. pārṣada-gatimthe position of the Lord’s associate
  8. gamitenawho had already gotten
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.4

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I keep service to the Lord central when material circumstances are difficult?

Practice

Choose one small act of devotional service today and carry it out patiently, even if an inconvenience arises.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 2.10.6SB 10.2.32

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 8.4's connections

Live this todayLiberation Means Becoming the Lord’s Eternal ServantThis 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 8.4.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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