1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
1.3.301.3.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.31

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.3.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यथा नभसि मेघौघो रेणुर्वा पार्थिवोऽनिले ।

एवं द्रष्टरि द‍ृश्यत्वमारोपितमबुद्धिभि: ॥ ३१ ॥

yathā nabhasi meghaugho

reṇur vā pārthivo ’nile

evaṁ draṣṭari dṛśyatvam

āropitam abuddhibhiḥ

Translation

Clouds and dust are carried by the air, but less intelligent persons say that the sky is cloudy and the air is dirty. Similarly, they also implant material bodily conceptions on the spirit self.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Look Beyond the Outward Covering

  1. 1

    Material eyes and senses cannot see the Lord, who is all spirit. They cannot even detect the spiritual spark within a living being’s body.

  2. 2

    We see the outward body or subtle mind, but not the spiritual self within. Assigning bodily qualities to that self is like identifying the sky with the clouds covering it.

  3. 3

    Those who wish to see God without the necessary qualification are first shown the material cosmos as the virāṭ-rūpa. This is an introductory conception; the Lord is both within and without.

Key points from the purport
  • It is further confirmed herein that with our material eyes and senses we cannot see the Lord, who is all spirit.
  • We cannot even detect the spiritual spark which exists within the material body of the living being.
  • Similarly, less intelligent men who want to see God immediately without necessary qualification are shown first the gigantic material cosmos as the form of the Lord, although the Lord is within and without.

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

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. yathāas it is
  2. nabhasiin the sky
  3. megha-oghaḥa mass of clouds
  4. reṇuḥdust
  5. vāas well as
  6. pārthivaḥmuddiness
  7. anilein the air
  8. evamthus
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “material”

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 often do I identify a person only with the outward body I can see?

Practice

When you meet someone today, pause and remember that the visible body is an outward covering of the spiritual self.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLook Beyond the Outward CoveringThis 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 1.3.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories