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Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Canto 3 · 33 chapters · 1416 verses · 14 stories
The Status Quo
Canto 3 follows Vidura as he hears Uddhava’s memories of Kṛṣṇa and receives Maitreya’s teachings about creation, time, and the Lord’s activities. It tells of Lord Varāha, the fall of Vaikuṇṭha’s doorkeepers, and the family of Kardama Muni and Devahūti. The canto concludes with Lord Kapila’s instructions and Devahūti’s liberation, showing that devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the goal.
What this canto speaks about · the ten subjects
Īśānukathā 464Mukti 225Ūti 148Sarga 132Visarga 125Poṣaṇa 90Manvantara 71Āśraya 64Sthāna 53Nirodha 44
- 1Chapter 1Questions by ViduraVidura leaves home, travels to holy places, and asks Uddhava about Kṛṣṇa’s associates and his relatives.Mostly Īśānukathā ·45 verses · Vidura’s journey
- 2Chapter 2Remembrance of Lord KṛṣṇaUddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa in devotional ecstasy and recounts His disappearance, supremacy, and childhood activities.Mostly Īśānukathā ·34 verses · Uddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa
- 3Chapter 3The Lord’s Pastimes Out of VṛndāvanaUddhava recounts Kṛṣṇa’s activities outside Vṛndāvana, including defeating enemies and protecting His devotees.Mostly Īśānukathā ·28 verses · Uddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa
- 4Chapter 4Vidura Approaches MaitreyaUddhava recalls the Lord’s instructions and directs Vidura to receive transcendental knowledge from Maitreya.Mostly Īśānukathā ·36 verses · Uddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa
- 5Chapter 5Vidura’s Talks with MaitreyaVidura meets Maitreya, who begins explaining the Lord’s activities and the unfolding of material creation.Mostly Sarga ·51 verses · Vidura learns from Maitreya
- 6Chapter 6Creation of the Universal FormThe Lord enters the material elements, manifesting the universal form with its senses, deities, and social orders.Mostly Sarga ·40 verses · Vidura learns from Maitreya
- 7Chapter 7Further Inquires by ViduraVidura asks about illusion, the soul, creation, religious duties, and the relationship between teacher and disciple.Mostly Mukti ·42 verses · Vidura learns from Maitreya
- 8Chapter 8Manifestation of Brahmā from Garbhodakaśāyī ViṣṇuBrahmā searches for his origin upon the lotus arising from Viṣṇu and beholds the Lord.Mostly Īśānukathā ·33 verses · Brahmā discovers his source
- 9Chapter 9Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative EnergyBrahmā prays for mercy and creative power, and the Lord instructs and blesses him.Mostly Poṣaṇa ·44 verses · Brahmā discovers his source
- 10Chapter 10Divisions of the CreationMaitreya explains the divisions of creation and Brahmā’s preparation of planetary homes for living entities.Mostly Visarga ·30 verses · Brahmā discovers his source
- 11Chapter 11Calculation of Time, from the AtomMaitreya describes time from atomic measurements to Brahmā’s lifespan, along with cycles of creation and devastation.Mostly Sthāna ·42 verses · Brahmā discovers his source
- 12Chapter 12Creation of the Kumāras and OthersBrahmā’s creation continues with sages, Rudra, sacrificial practices, religious principles, and further forms of life.Mostly Visarga ·57 verses · Brahmā discovers his source
- 13Chapter 13The Appearance of Lord VarāhaLord Varāha appears from Brahmā’s nose, lifts the submerged earth, and receives the sages’ prayers.Mostly Īśānukathā ·50 verses · Lord Varāha lifts the earth
- 14Chapter 14Pregnancy of Diti in the EveningDiti desires sons, her husband performs a forbidden act, and their sons’ destruction by the Lord is foretold.Mostly Īśānukathā ·51 verses · Diti’s troubled desire
- 15Chapter 15Description of the Kingdom of GodBrahmā describes Vaikuṇṭha, where the Kumāras curse two doorkeepers and then behold the Lord.Mostly Īśānukathā ·50 verses · Diti’s troubled desire · The doorkeepers’ fall
- 16Chapter 16The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the SagesThe Lord honors the sages and assures His fallen doorkeepers that they will soon return.Mostly Īśānukathā ·37 verses · The doorkeepers’ fall
- 17Chapter 17Victory of Hiraṇyākṣa Over All the Directions of the UniverseTerrible omens accompany the demons’ appearance, and Hiraṇyākṣa spreads fear through his strength and pride.Mostly Īśānukathā ·31 verses · Lord Varāha defeats Hiraṇyākṣa
- 18Chapter 18The Battle Between Lord Boar and the Demon HiraṇyākṣaHiraṇyākṣa challenges Lord Varāha, who protects the earth and fights him as Brahmā prays for victory.Mostly Īśānukathā ·28 verses · Lord Varāha defeats Hiraṇyākṣa
- 19Chapter 19The Killing of the Demon HiraṇyākṣaLord Varāha defeats Hiraṇyākṣa and returns to His abode amid the demigods’ praises.Mostly Īśānukathā ·38 verses · Lord Varāha defeats Hiraṇyākṣa
- 20Chapter 20Conversation Between Maitreya and ViduraQuestions about Manu lead to further accounts of Brahmā’s creation of demigods, demons, and other beings.Mostly Visarga ·53 verses
- 21Chapter 21Conversation Between Manu and KardamaKardama performs penance, receives the Lord’s blessings, and welcomes Manu, who travels with his wife and daughter.Mostly Īśānukathā ·56 verses · Kardama marries Devahūti
- 22Chapter 22The Marriage of Kardama Muni and DevahūtiKardama marries Devahūti with plans for later renunciation, and Manu returns home absorbed in Vāsudeva.Mostly Īśānukathā ·39 verses · Kardama marries Devahūti
- 23Chapter 23Devahūti’s LamentationDevahūti serves Kardama, shares his extraordinary household life, and asks who will comfort her after his departure.Mostly Īśānukathā ·57 verses · Devahūti asks for lasting solace
- 24Chapter 24The Renunciation of Kardama MuniKapila appears as Devahūti’s son, the daughters marry, and Kardama renounces family life with the Lord’s permission.Mostly Īśānukathā ·47 verses · Kapila appears and Kardama renounces
- 25Chapter 25The Glories of Devotional ServiceKapila teaches Devahūti the glories of devotional service, association with devotees, and freedom from material attachment.Mostly Mukti ·44 verses · Kapila teaches His mother
- 26Chapter 26Fundamental Principles of Material NatureKapila explains material nature, consciousness, time, the elements, and the manifestation of the universal form.Mostly Sarga ·72 verses · Kapila teaches His mother
- 27Chapter 27Understanding Material NatureKapila explains how hearing, chanting, knowledge, and devotional service free the soul from material nature.Mostly Mukti ·30 verses · Kapila teaches His mother
- 28Chapter 28Kapila’s Instructions on the Execution of Devotional ServiceKapila teaches disciplined yoga and devoted meditation upon the Lord’s eternal form.Mostly Mukti ·44 verses · Kapila teaches His mother
- 29Chapter 29Explanation of Devotional Service by Lord KapilaKapila explains devotional service, honoring the Lord’s presence in all beings, and the power of time.Mostly Mukti ·45 verses · Kapila teaches His mother
- 30Chapter 30Description by Lord Kapila of Adverse Fruitive ActivitiesKapila describes the anxiety, death, and punishment of a person absorbed in sinful material pursuits.Mostly Ūti ·34 verses · Kapila describes the soul’s wandering
- 31Chapter 31Lord Kapila’s Instructions on the Movements of the Living EntitiesKapila describes life in the womb, prayer, birth, forgetfulness, and continued bondage through material activities.Mostly Ūti ·48 verses · Kapila describes the soul’s wandering
- 32Chapter 32Entanglement in Fruitive ActivitiesKapila contrasts temporary material rewards with the knowledge and detachment gained through devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.Mostly Mukti ·43 verses · Kapila describes the soul’s wandering
- 33Chapter 33Activities of KapilaDevahūti follows Kapila’s instructions and attains liberation; Kapila travels onward and receives prayers and offerings.Mostly Mukti ·37 verses · Devahūti follows Kapila’s path
Chapter lines and stories are short summaries drawn from the Bhāgavatam's own chapter summaries and translations. Read each chapter in full for the text itself.