1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

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
3.1.273.1.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.1.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कच्चिद्वरूथाधिपतिर्यदूनां

प्रद्युम्न आस्ते सुखमङ्ग वीर: ।

यं रुक्‍मिणी भगवतोऽभिलेभे

आराध्य विप्रान् स्मरमादिसर्गे ॥ २८ ॥

kaccid varūthādhipatir yadūnāṁ

pradyumna āste sukham aṅga vīraḥ

yaṁ rukmiṇī bhagavato ’bhilebhe

ārādhya viprān smaram ādi-sarge

Translation

O Uddhava, please tell me, How is Pradyumna, the commander in chief of the Yadus, who was Cupid in a former life? Rukmiṇī bore him as her son from Lord Kṛṣṇa, by the grace of brāhmaṇas whom she pleased.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pradyumna, an Eternal Associate of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Vidura asked about Pradyumna, the commander in chief of the Yadus.

  2. 2

    Rukmiṇī bore Pradyumna as her son from Lord Kṛṣṇa by the grace of brāhmaṇas whom she had pleased.

  3. 3

    Pradyumna was Cupid in a former life. Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that Smara, or Kāmadeva, is one of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s eternal associates.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī, Smara (Cupid, or Kāmadeva) is one of the eternal associates of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • Jīva Gosvāmī has explained this very elaborately in his treatise Kṛṣṇa-sandarbha.

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. kaccitwhether
  2. varūthaof the military
  3. adhipatiḥcommander in chief
  4. yadūnāmof the Yadus
  5. pradyumnaḥthe son of Kṛṣṇa named Pradyumna
  6. āsteis
  7. sukhamhappy
  8. aṅgaO Uddhava
3

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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “grace”

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

What does this passage help me appreciate about Kṛṣṇa’s associates?

Practice

Reread the translation today and recall Pradyumna’s relationship with Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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 3.1's connections

Live this todayPradyumna, an Eternal Associate of KṛṣṇaThis 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 3.1.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories