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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 10: Divisions of the Creation
3.10.193.10.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.10.20

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.10.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

उत्स्रोतसस्तम:प्राया अन्त:स्पर्शा विशेषिण: ॥ २० ॥

utsrotasas tamaḥ-prāyā

antaḥ-sparśā viśeṣiṇaḥ

Translation

All the immovable trees and plants seek their subsistence upwards. They are almost unconscious but have feelings of pain within. They are manifested in variegatedness.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Plants Have Feelings of Pain Within

  1. 1

    Immovable trees and plants seek their subsistence upwards.

  2. 2

    Although they are almost unconscious, trees and plants have feelings of pain within.

  3. 3

    These immovable living entities appear in many varieties.

How it feels

Mystery → Cosmic wonder. The origin of the world is revealed through inquiry and divine grace.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 3: Creation and Brahmā's bewilderment. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: Divisions of the Creation

Maitreya explains the divisions of creation and Brahmā’s preparation of planetary homes for living entities.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. utsrotasaḥthey seek their subsistence upwards
  2. tamaḥ-prāyāḥalmost unconscious
  3. antaḥ-sparśāḥslightly feeling within
  4. viśeṣiṇaḥwith varieties of manifestation
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

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 might remembering that plants feel pain change the way I handle them?

Practice

Handle a plant gently today, avoiding unnecessary damage to its leaves or stems.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPlants Have Feelings of Pain WithinThis 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 3.10.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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