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

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Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

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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 3 · Chapter 1: Questions by Vidura
3.1.203.1.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.21

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.1.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत्राथ शुश्राव सुहृद्विनष्टिं

वनं यथा वेणुजवह्निसंश्रयम् ।

संस्पर्धया दग्धमथानुशोचन्

सरस्वतीं प्रत्यगियाय तूष्णीम् ॥ २१ ॥

tatrātha śuśrāva suhṛd-vinaṣṭiṁ

vanaṁ yathā veṇuja-vahni-saṁśrayam

saṁspardhayā dagdham athānuśocan

sarasvatīṁ pratyag iyāya tūṣṇīm

Translation

At the place of pilgrimage at Prabhāsa, it came to his knowledge that all his relatives had died due to violent passion, just as an entire forest burns due to fire produced by the friction of bamboos. After this he proceeded west, where the river Sarasvatī flows.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Saintly Mercy Quenches the Fire of Conflict

  1. 1

    Vidura heard that his relatives, both the Kauravas and the Yādavas, had perished through war among themselves.

  2. 2

    Violent passion among conditioned souls is like friction between forest bamboos. It can produce a fire of war that consumes society.

  3. 3

    Such a worldly fire can be extinguished only by the mercy of saints, just as a forest fire is extinguished by rain from a cloud.

Key points from the purport
  • At any moment there may be a flare-up of fire in the forest due to friction.
  • No one goes to the forest to set it on fire, but due only to friction between bamboos, fire takes place and burns an entire forest.
  • Similarly, in the greater forest of worldly transaction, the fire of war takes place because of the violent passion of the conditioned souls illusioned by the external energy.

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

Further reading

Chapter 1: Questions by Vidura

Vidura leaves home, travels to holy places, and asks Uddhava about Kṛṣṇa’s associates and his relatives.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tatrathere
  2. athathereafter
  3. śuśrāvaheard
  4. suhṛtkinsmen
  5. vinaṣṭimall dead
  6. vanamforest
  7. yathāas much as
  8. veṇuja-vahnifire due to the bamboos
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.1

    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

Where do I see passionate friction growing in my own dealings with others?

Practice

Before responding to one tense situation today, pause and reread the purport’s teaching about saintly mercy.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySaintly Mercy Quenches the Fire of ConflictThis 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 3.1.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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