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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
3.1.53.1.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.6

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 3.1.6inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

यदा तु राजा स्वसुतानसाधून्

पुष्णन्नधर्मेण विनष्टद‍ृष्टि: ।

भ्रातुर्यविष्ठस्य सुतान् विबन्धून्

प्रवेश्य लाक्षाभवने ददाह ॥ ६ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

yadā tu rājā sva-sutān asādhūn

puṣṇan na dharmeṇa vinaṣṭa-dṛṣṭiḥ

bhrātur yaviṣṭhasya sutān vibandhūn

praveśya lākṣā-bhavane dadāha

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: King Dhṛtarāṣṭra became blind under the influence of impious desires to nourish his dishonest sons, and thus he set fire to the lacquer house to burn his fatherless nephews, the Pāṇḍavas.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Blindness Obstructs Real Progress

  1. 1

    Dhṛtarāṣṭra supported his dishonest sons through impious actions, even setting fire to the house occupied by his fatherless nephews.

  2. 2

    His blindness in committing these acts was greater than his physical blindness. Physical lack of sight does not prevent spiritual progress.

  3. 3

    Spiritual blindness is dangerously harmful to the progressive path of human life, even when a person is physically fit.

Key points from the purport
  • Dhṛtarāṣṭra was blind from birth, but his blindness in committing impious activities to support his dishonest sons was a greater blindness than his physical lack of eyesight.
  • The physical lack of sight does not bar one from spiritual progress.
  • But when one is blind spiritually, even though physically fit, that blindness is dangerously detrimental to the progressive path of human life.

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. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. yadāwhen
  3. tubut
  4. rājāKing Dhṛtarāṣṭra
  5. sva-sutānhis own sons
  6. asādhūndishonest
  7. puṣṇannourishing
  8. nanever
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “fatherless”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “dangerously”

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

Could attachment to someone lead me to excuse dishonest conduct?

Practice

Examine one judgment involving someone close to you, and check whether affection is making you excuse dishonesty.

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 todaySpiritual Blindness Obstructs Real ProgressThis 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 3.1.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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