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
1.3.321.3.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.33

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

यत्रेमे सदसद्रूपे प्रतिषिद्धे स्वसंविदा ।

अविद्ययात्मनि कृते इति तद्ब्रह्मदर्शनम् ॥ ३३ ॥

yatreme sad-asad-rūpe

pratiṣiddhe sva-saṁvidā

avidyayātmani kṛte

iti tad brahma-darśanam

Translation

Whenever a person experiences, by self-realization, that both the gross and subtle bodies have nothing to do with the pure self, at that time he sees himself as well as the Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Self-Realization Leads to Service of the Lord

  1. 1

    The gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self, imposed through ignorance. These coverings never affect the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Self-realization means becoming serious about the activities of the self rather than calculating self-interest only in terms of body and mind. One engaged in the self’s true activities is called jīvan-mukta, liberated even in conditioned existence.

  3. 3

    Perfect self-realization is attained under the lotus feet of the Lord, not by artificial means. By His mercy, forgetfulness is removed, and the living being serves Him in the eternal constitutional position.

Key points from the purport
  • The difference between self-realization and material illusion is to know that the temporary or illusory impositions of material energy in the shape of gross and subtle bodies are superficial coverings of the self.
  • Self-realization means becoming indifferent to the needs of the gross and subtle bodies and becoming serious about the activities of the self.
  • When the living being desires to be an enjoyer of material energy (illusory phenomena), the Lord covers the living being in the mystery of forgetfulness, and thus the living being misinterprets the gross body and subtle mind to be his own self.

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. yatrawhenever
  2. imein all these
  3. sat-asatgross and subtle
  4. rūpein the forms of
  5. pratiṣiddheon being nullified
  6. sva-saṁvidāby self-realization
  7. avidyayāby ignorance
  8. ātmaniin the self
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “mercy”

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

Am I treating service to the Lord as my true self-interest?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking the Lord to free you from forgetfulness and help you engage in His service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySelf-Realization Leads to Service of the LordThis 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 1.3.33? 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