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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.7.3

Who is speaking and story frame

जज्ञे च कर्दमगृहे द्विज देवहूत्यां

स्त्रीभि: समं नवभिरात्मगतिं स्वमात्रे ।

ऊचे ययात्मशमलं गुणसङ्गपङ्क-

मस्मिन् विधूय कपिलस्य गतिं प्रपेदे ॥ ३ ॥

jajñe ca kardama-gṛhe dvija devahūtyāṁ

strībhiḥ samaṁ navabhir ātma-gatiṁ sva-mātre

ūce yayātma-śamalaṁ guṇa-saṅga-paṅkam

asmin vidhūya kapilasya gatiṁ prapede

Translation

The Lord then appeared as the Kapila incarnation, being the son of the prajāpati brāhmaṇa Kardama and his wife, Devahūti, along with nine other women [sisters]. He spoke to His mother about self-realization, by which, in that very lifetime, she became fully cleansed of the mud of the material modes and thereby achieved liberation, the path of Kapila.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Leads to the Lord

  1. 1

    Lord Kapila taught His mother, Devahūti, about self-realization, and she attained liberation in that very lifetime. Following the instructions of Lord Kapila or Lord Kṛṣṇa can bring the highest benefit even today.

  2. 2

    Self-realization includes knowledge of the Supreme Lord’s personal form, not merely the spiritual similarity between the Lord and living beings. Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, always supreme and free from material contamination.

  3. 3

    Devotional service is the ultimate goal and brings spiritual knowledge and detachment. One can begin loving service before liberation, and its purifying power can bring complete liberation even in this life.

Key points from the purport
  • The instructions of Lord Kapila to His mother Devahūti are fully described in the Third Canto (Chapters 25-32) of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and anyone who follows the instructions can achieve the same liberation obtained by Devahūti.
  • Therefore Lord Kapila also has His separate Vaikuṇṭha planet.
  • Devotional service to the Lord is the ultimate issue, and therefore those who are directly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord not only acquire the necessary knowledge in spiritual science, but also attain detachment from material connection and are thus promoted to the kingdom of God by complete liberation, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26):

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

The purport of SB 2.7.3 quotesBG 14.26

Devotional service to the Lord is the ultimate issue, and therefore those who are directly engaged in the devotional service of the Lord not only acquire the necessary knowledge in spiritual science, but also attain detachment from material connection and are thus promoted to the kingdom of God by complete liberation, as stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (14.26): Even in the…

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

Uncertainty → Awe. The scale of reality widens dramatically.

Chapters 4–7 of Canto 2: The creation, cosmic Person and incarnations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: Scheduled Incarnations with Specific Functions

Brahmā recounts the Lord’s incarnations and explains that unalloyed surrender enables one to understand Him.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jajñetook birth
  2. caalso
  3. kardamathe Prajāpati named Kardama
  4. gṛhein the house of
  5. dvijaO brāhmaṇa
  6. devahūtyāmin the womb of Devahūti
  7. strībhiḥby women
  8. samamaccompanied by
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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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “cleansed”, “purifying”, “contamination”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 2.7

    In this verse: “detachment”, “free from”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would seeing loving service as the goal change your approach to spiritual knowledge?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading these instructions with the intention of learning how to serve Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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The story around it

The stories 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.

7

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Live this todayDevotional Service Leads to 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 2.7.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.