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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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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
3.1.313.1.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.32

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

कच्चिद् बुध: स्वस्त्यनमीव आस्ते

श्वफल्कपुत्रो भगवत्प्रपन्न: ।

य: कृष्णपादाङ्कितमार्गपांसु-

ष्वचेष्टत प्रेमविभिन्नधैर्य: ॥ ३२ ॥

kaccid budhaḥ svasty anamīva āste

śvaphalka-putro bhagavat-prapannaḥ

yaḥ kṛṣṇa-pādāṅkita-mārga-pāṁsuṣv

aceṣṭata prema-vibhinna-dhairyaḥ

Translation

Please tell me whether Akrūra, the son of Śvaphalka, is doing well. He is a faultless soul surrendered unto the Personality of Godhead. He once lost his mental equilibrium due to his ecstasy of transcendental love and fell down on the dust of a road which was marked with the footprints of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remembering Kṛṣṇa Keeps the Heart Pure

  1. 1

    Seeing Kṛṣṇa’s footprints in the dust of Nanda-grāma, Akrūra fell upon them in ecstatic love. Such love is possible for a devotee absorbed in constant thoughts of Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    A pure devotee is naturally faultless through constant association with the supremely pure Personality of Godhead. Thinking of the Lord keeps the devotee in His company.

  3. 3

    Constant thought of the Lord protects one from contamination by the material qualities. In particular times and places, a devotee’s transcendental emotions may become overwhelming.

Key points from the purport
  • When Akrūra came to Vṛndāvana in search of Kṛṣṇa, he saw the footprints of the Lord on the dust of Nanda-grāma and at once fell on them in ecstasy of transcendental love.
  • Such a pure devotee of the Lord is naturally faultless because he is always associated with the supremely pure Personality of Godhead.
  • Lord Caitanya displayed the typical example of transcendental ecstasy, as we can understand from the life of this incarnation of God.

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. budhaḥvery learned
  3. svastiwell
  4. anamīvaḥfaultless
  5. āstedoes exist
  6. śvaphalka-putraḥthe son of Śvaphalka, Akrūra
  7. bhagavatregarding the Personality of Godhead
  8. prapannaḥsurrendered
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “love”, “ecstasy”, “ecstatic”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “surrendered”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “material”

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 part of my day could become an opportunity to remember Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa and Akrūra’s loving response to His footprints.

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 todayRemembering Kṛṣṇa Keeps the Heart PureThis 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 3.1.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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