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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
1.3.51.3.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.3.6

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

स एव प्रथमं देव: कौमारं सर्गमाश्रित: ।

चचार दुश्चरं ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मचर्यमखण्डितम् ॥ ६ ॥

sa eva prathamaṁ devaḥ

kaumāraṁ sargam āśritaḥ

cacāra duścaraṁ brahmā

brahmacaryam akhaṇḍitam

Translation

First of all, in the beginning of creation, there were the four unmarried sons of Brahmā [the Kumāras], who, being situated in a vow of celibacy, underwent severe austerities for realization of the Absolute Truth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Qualification Requires Quality, Not Birth Alone

  1. 1

    The four Kumāras are unmarried sons of Brahmā and empowered incarnations. They underwent severe discipline in celibacy to teach the process of Brahman realization.

  2. 2

    Before undertaking these severe disciplines, the Kumāras became qualified brāhmaṇas. Their example places qualification before advanced austerity.

  3. 3

    One must acquire the qualifications of a brāhmaṇa, not simply claim them by birth. These qualities prepare one to undertake the process of Brahman realization.

Key points from the purport
  • The creation of the material world is effected, maintained and then again annihilated at certain intervals.
  • The Kumāras, as above mentioned, appeared in the Kaumāra creation of the material world, and to teach us the process of Brahman realization, they underwent a severe type of disciplinary action as bachelors.
  • This example suggests that one must first acquire the qualifications of a brāhmaṇa, not simply by birth but also by quality, and then one can undergo the process of Brahman realization.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat
  2. evacertainly
  3. prathamamfirst
  4. devaḥSupreme Lord
  5. kaumāramnamed the Kumāras (unmarried)
  6. sargamcreation
  7. āśritaḥunder
  8. cacāraperformed
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 1.3

    In this verse: “absolute truth”

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 more concerned with a spiritual label or with becoming genuinely qualified?

Practice

Set aside five minutes for focused spiritual study today, practicing discipline rather than relying on a label or background.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 1.3's connections

Live this todaySpiritual Qualification Requires Quality, Not Birth AloneThis 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 1.3.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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