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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
3.1.423.1.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.43

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

नूनं नृपाणां त्रिमदोत्पथानां

महीं मुहुश्चालयतां चमूभि: ।

वधात्प्रपन्नार्तिजिहीर्षयेशो-

ऽप्युपैक्षताघं भगवान् कुरूणाम् ॥ ४३ ॥

nūnaṁ nṛpāṇāṁ tri-madotpathānāṁ

mahīṁ muhuś cālayatāṁ camūbhiḥ

vadhāt prapannārti-jihīrṣayeśo

’py upaikṣatāghaṁ bhagavān kurūṇām

Translation

Despite His being the Lord and being always willing to relieve the distress of sufferers, He [Kṛṣṇa] refrained from killing the Kurus, although they committed all sorts of sins and although He saw other kings constantly agitating the earth by their strong military movements carried out under the dictation of three kinds of false pride.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Waiting Does Not Excuse Wrongdoing

  1. 1

    Lord Kṛṣṇa appears to punish miscreants and protect the suffering faithful. He protected Draupadī with unlimited clothing, although He did not immediately punish those insulting her.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s silence did not mean that He excused the Kurus’ offenses. He waited for the kings, proud of wealth, education and followers, to assemble on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra.

  3. 3

    The Lord wanted His devotee and friend Arjuna to become the hero of the battle. He gave His devotee credit for an act that He Himself had already arranged.

Key points from the purport
  • There were many other kings on earth who had become very proud of three kinds of possessions — wealth, education and followers — and they were constantly agitating the earth by movements of military strength.
  • The Lord was just waiting to get them together on the Battlefield of Kurukṣetra and kill them all at one time, just to make a shortcut in His killing mission.
  • When Lord Kṛṣṇa was personally present, there were many such kings all over the world, and He thus arranged for the Battle of Kurukṣetra.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 3.1.43 quotesBG 11.32

Fight the battle and be famous as a great hero.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. nūnamof course
  2. nṛpāṇāmof the kings
  3. trithree
  4. mada-utpathānāmgoing astray out of false pride
  5. mahīmearth
  6. muhuḥconstantly
  7. cālayatāmagitating
  8. camūbhiḥby movement of soldiers
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “pride”, “proud”, “offenses”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”, “suffering”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “kings”

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

Do I mistake the absence of immediate punishment for the Lord’s approval of wrongdoing?

Practice

Notice one source of pride today—wealth, education or followers—and remind yourself not to use it to trouble others.

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 Waiting Does Not Excuse WrongdoingThis 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 3.1.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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