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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 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 1 · Chapter 3: Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations
1.3.161.3.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.3.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

धान्वन्तरं द्वादशमं त्रयोदशममेव च ।

अपाययत्सुरानन्यान्मोहिन्या मोहयन् स्त्रिया ॥ १७ ॥

dhānvantaraṁ dvādaśamaṁ

trayodaśamam eva ca

apāyayat surān anyān

mohinyā mohayan striyā

Translation

In the twelfth incarnation, the Lord appeared as Dhanvantari, and in the thirteenth He allured the atheists by the charming beauty of a woman and gave nectar to the demigods to drink.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Gives Nectar to the Demigods

  1. 1

    The Lord appeared as Dhanvantari in His twelfth incarnation.

  2. 2

    In His thirteenth incarnation, the Lord appeared in the charming form of a woman. Through this beauty, He allured the atheists.

  3. 3

    In that form, the Lord gave nectar to the demigods to drink.

How it feels

Concern → Purpose. A spiritually urgent question emerges for the age of Kali.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 1: The sages ask the ultimate questions. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Kṛṣṇa Is the Source of All Incarnations

Sūta describes the Lord’s incarnations and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as His literary incarnation.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dhānvantaramthe incarnation of Godhead named Dhanvantari
  2. dvādaśamamthe twelfth in the line
  3. trayodaśamamthe thirteenth in the line
  4. evacertainly
  5. caand
  6. apāyayatgave to drink
  7. surānthe demigods
  8. anyānothers
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

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this verse deepen your appreciation of the different forms the Lord accepts?

Practice

Write down the two appearances described here and the action attributed to the thirteenth incarnation.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayThe Lord Gives Nectar to the DemigodsThis 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 1.3.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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