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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
3.1.73.1.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.1.8

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

द्यूते त्वधर्मेण जितस्य साधो:

सत्यावलम्बस्य वनं गतस्य ।

न याचतोऽदात्समयेन दायं

तमोजुषाणो यदजातशत्रो: ॥ ८ ॥

dyūte tv adharmeṇa jitasya sādhoḥ

satyāvalambasya vanaṁ gatasya

na yācato ’dāt samayena dāyaṁ

tamo-juṣāṇo yad ajāta-śatroḥ

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira, who was born without any enemy, was unfairly defeated in gambling. But because he had taken the vow of truthfulness, he went off to the forest. When he came back in due course and begged the return of his rightful share of the kingdom, he was refused by Dhṛtarāṣṭra, who was overwhelmed by illusion.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Truthfulness Contrasts With Unfair Favoritism

  1. 1

    Although unfairly defeated in gambling, Yudhiṣṭhira honored his vow of truthfulness and went to the forest.

  2. 2

    Yudhiṣṭhira was the rightful heir, but Dhṛtarāṣṭra used unfair means to favor his own sons. Overwhelmed by illusion, he refused to return the Pāṇḍavas’ rightful share.

  3. 3

    Even the request for five villages was refused, leading to the War of Kurukṣetra. The purport therefore identifies the Kurus, not the Pāṇḍavas, as responsible for bringing about the battle.

Key points from the purport
  • Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira was the rightful heir to his father’s kingdom.
  • But just to favor his own sons, headed by Duryodhana, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s uncle, adopted various unfair means to cheat his nephews of their rightful share of the kingdom.
  • The Battle of Kurukṣetra, therefore, was induced by the Kurus, and not the Pāṇḍavas.

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. dyūteby means of gambling
  2. tubut
  3. adharmeṇaby unfair tricks
  4. jitasyaof the vanquished
  5. sādhoḥa saintly person
  6. satya-avalambasyaone who embraced truth as shelter
  7. vanamforest
  8. gatasyaof the goer
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “kingdom”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.1

    In this verse: “favor”

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

Where might favoritism prevent me from giving someone their rightful share?

Practice

Check one responsibility involving fairness, and give anyone concerned what is rightfully theirs.

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 todayTruthfulness Contrasts With Unfair FavoritismThis 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 3.1.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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