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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
3.1.333.1.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.34

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.1.11inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अपिस्विदास्ते भगवान् सुखं वो

य: सात्वतां कामदुघोऽनिरुद्ध: ।

यमामनन्ति स्म हि शब्दयोनिं

मनोमयं सत्त्वतुरीयतत्त्वम् ॥ ३४ ॥

apisvid āste bhagavān sukhaṁ vo

yaḥ sātvatāṁ kāma-dugho ’niruddhaḥ

yam āmananti sma hi śabda-yoniṁ

mano-mayaṁ sattva-turīya-tattvam

Translation

May I inquire whether Aniruddha is doing well? He is the fulfiller of all the desires of the pure devotees and has been considered from yore to be the cause of the Ṛg Veda, the creator of the mind and the fourth plenary expansion of Viṣṇu.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Expansions Share His Potency

  1. 1

    Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha are the original expansions from Baladeva. All are viṣṇu-tattvas, nondifferent Personalities of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Aniruddha fulfills the desires of pure devotees and is the creator of the mind. He is also the cause of Mahā-Viṣṇu, from whose breathing the Ṛg Veda appeared.

  3. 3

    The original Lord Kṛṣṇa never leaves Goloka Vṛndāvana. All His plenary expansions are the same viṣṇu-tattva, with no difference in Their potency.

Key points from the purport
  • Ādi-caturbhuja, the original expansions from Baladeva, are Vāsudeva, Saṅkarṣaṇa, Pradyumna and Aniruddha.
  • In the incarnation of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Aniruddha appeared as the son of the Lord.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa in Dvārakā is the Vāsudeva expansion of the original group.

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. apias also
  2. svitwhether
  3. āstedoes He
  4. bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
  5. sukhamall happiness
  6. vaḥof you
  7. yaḥone who
  8. sātvatāmof the devotees
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “inquire”

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

How does knowing that the Lord’s expansions share His potency deepen my understanding of Him?

Practice

Write down the four expansions named in the purport and note that They are nondifferent Personalities of Godhead.

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 todayThe Lord’s Expansions Share His PotencyThis 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 3.1.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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