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

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 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 2 · Chapter 3: Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart
2.3.232.3.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.3.24

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 2.3.13inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तदश्मसारं हृदयं बतेदं

यद् गृह्यमाणैर्हरिनामधेयै: ।

न विक्रियेताथ यदा विकारो

नेत्रे जलं गात्ररुहेषु हर्ष: ॥ २४ ॥

tad aśma-sāraṁ hṛdayaṁ batedaṁ

yad gṛhyamāṇair hari-nāma-dheyaiḥ

na vikriyetātha yadā vikāro

netre jalaṁ gātra-ruheṣu harṣaḥ

Translation

Certainly that heart is steel-framed which, in spite of one’s chanting the holy name of the Lord with concentration, does not change when ecstasy takes place, tears fill the eyes and the hairs stand on end.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Means a Genuine Change of Heart

  1. 1

    Spiritual culture aims to awaken our eternal position as the Supreme Lord’s subordinate servant. Progress appears as less desire for material enjoyment and greater willingness to render loving service.

  2. 2

    Hearing and chanting are the basic principles of devotional service, and we should carefully avoid offenses to the holy name. Tears and other ecstatic symptoms may arise naturally, but they should never be imitated.

  3. 3

    Outward ecstatic signs are not always visible, even in an advanced devotee. Steady devotion is shown by freedom from material desires, careful use of time in the Lord’s service, eagerness to glorify Him and pridelessness.

Key points from the purport
  • If there is no such change, the heart must be considered steel-framed, for it is not melted even when there is chanting of the holy name of the Lord.
  • In the beginning of chanting of the holy name of the Lord, if the devotee has not been very careful about evading the ten kinds of offenses at the feet of the holy name, certainly the reaction of feelings of separation will not be visible by tears in the eyes and standing of the hair on end.
  • As such, even if they make a show of constantly chanting the holy name of the Lord, they cannot relish the transcendental taste of the holy name.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 8.25

Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, commenting on this verse, which is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (2.3.24), remarks that sometimes a mahā-bhāgavata, or very advanced devotee, does not manifest such transcendental symptoms as tears in the eyes, whereas sometimes a kaniṣṭha-adhikārī, a neophyte devotee, displays them artificially.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Death anxiety → Steady attention. The answer to mortality begins with spiritual focus.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 2: The practice of hearing, remembering and devotion. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: Pure Devotional Service: The Change in Heart

Everyone should worship the Supreme Lord and engage the senses in devotion that changes the heart.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatthat
  2. aśma-sāramis steel-framed
  3. hṛdayamheart
  4. bata idamcertainly that
  5. yatwhich
  6. gṛhyamāṇaiḥin spite of chanting
  7. hari-nāmathe holy name of the Lord
  8. dheyaiḥby concentration of the mind
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 2.3

    In this verse: “chanting”, “holy name”, “hearing”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 2.3

    In this verse: “ecstasy”, “ecstatic”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.3

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

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

Is my hearing and chanting helping me become less proud and more willing to serve?

Practice

Spend a few minutes attentively chanting the Lord’s holy name today, seeking loving service rather than an outward display of emotion.

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 · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayDevotion Means a Genuine Change of HeartOne of the 108 chosen lessons: a practice and a question from this verse

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 2.3.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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