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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
3.1.363.1.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.37

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

किं वा कृताघेष्वघमत्यमर्षी

भीमोऽहिवद्दीर्घतमं व्यमुञ्चत् ।

यस्याङ्‌घ्रि पातं रणभूर्न सेहे

मार्गं गदायाश्चरतो विचित्रम् ॥ ३७ ॥

kiṁ vā kṛtāgheṣv agham atyamarṣī

bhīmo ’hivad dīrghatamaṁ vyamuñcat

yasyāṅghri-pātaṁ raṇa-bhūr na sehe

mārgaṁ gadāyāś carato vicitram

Translation

[Please tell me] whether the unconquerable Bhīma, who is like a cobra, has released his long-cherished anger upon the sinners? The field of battle could not tolerate even the wonderful playing of his club when he stepped on the path.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bhīma’s Strength and Long-Held Anger

  1. 1

    Vidura knew Bhīma’s great strength. His steps and skillful use of the club were unbearable for enemies on the battlefield.

  2. 2

    Although powerful, Bhīma had not acted against the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra for a long time. Vidura asks whether he has now released his long-held anger.

  3. 3

    Bhīma’s anger is compared to that of a suffering cobra. The comparison conveys how devastating its release would be.

Key points from the purport
  • Whenever Bhīma was on the battlefield, his steps on the path and the wonderful playing of his club were unbearable for the enemy.
  • Vidura’s inquiry was whether he had yet released his anger, which was like that of a suffering cobra.
  • When a cobra releases its venom after long-cherished anger, its victim cannot survive.

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. kimwhether
  2. vāeither
  3. kṛtaperformed
  4. agheṣuunto the sinners
  5. aghamanger
  6. ati-amarṣīunconquerable
  7. bhīmaḥBhīma
  8. ahi-vatlike a cobra
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “suffering”

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 the cobra comparison help me understand about Bhīma’s long-held anger?

Practice

Reread the verse and identify one detail showing Bhīma’s strength and one showing his long delay before acting.

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 todayBhīma’s Strength and Long-Held AngerThis 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 3.1.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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