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

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Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 3 · Chapter 1: Questions by Vidura

3.1.13 3.1.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.14

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Vidurasince 3.1.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इत्यूचिवांस्तत्र सुयोधनेन

प्रवृद्धकोपस्फुरिताधरेण ।

असत्कृत: सत्स्पृहणीयशील:

क्षत्ता सकर्णानुजसौबलेन ॥ १४ ॥

ity ūcivāṁs tatra suyodhanena

pravṛddha-kopa-sphuritādhareṇa

asat-kṛtaḥ sat-spṛhaṇīya-śīlaḥ

kṣattā sakarṇānuja-saubalena

Translation

While speaking thus, Vidura, whose personal character was esteemed by respectable persons, was insulted by Duryodhana, who was swollen with anger and whose lips were trembling. Duryodhana was in company with Karṇa, his younger brothers and his maternal uncle Śakuni.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bad Association Turns Counsel Into Anger

1
Good counsel can make a foolish person angry rather than grateful. The purport compares this to milk increasing a snake’s venom.
2
Vidura’s character was honored by respectable persons. Duryodhana nevertheless dared to insult him.
3
Duryodhana’s bad association with Śakuni and Karṇa encouraged his wicked actions. Their influence helped him reject worthy advice.

Key points from the purport

Saint Vidura was so honorable that his character was looked up to by all respectable persons.
But Duryodhana was so foolish that he dared to insult Vidura.
This was due to his bad association with Śakuni, his maternal uncle, as well as with his friend Karṇa, who always encouraged Duryodhana in his nefarious acts.

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

Separation → Devotional remembrance. Uddhava's tears and silence make remembrance emotionally immediate.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 3: Vidura meets Uddhava and hears of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc