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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom
3.11.253.11.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.26

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.11.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

एष दैनन्दिन: सर्गो ब्राह्मस्त्रैलोक्यवर्तन: ।

तिर्यङ्‌नृपितृदेवानां सम्भवो यत्र कर्मभि: ॥ २६ ॥

eṣa dainan-dinaḥ sargo

brāhmas trailokya-vartanaḥ

tiryaṅ-nṛ-pitṛ-devānāṁ

sambhavo yatra karmabhiḥ

Translation

In the creation, during Brahmā’s day, the three planetary systems — Svarga, Martya and Pātāla — revolve, and the inhabitants, including the lower animals, human beings, demigods and Pitās, appear and disappear in terms of their fruitive activities.

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.

Living Beings Appear According to Their Activities

  1. 1

    During Brahmā’s day, the three planetary systems—Svarga, Martya and Pātāla—revolve.

  2. 2

    Their inhabitants include lower animals, human beings, demigods and Pitās.

  3. 3

    These inhabitants appear and disappear according to their fruitive activities.

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 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom

Maitreya describes time from atomic measurements to Brahmā’s lifespan, along with cycles of creation and devastation.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣaḥall these creations
  2. dainam-dinaḥdaily
  3. sargaḥcreation
  4. brāhmaḥin terms of the days of Brahmā
  5. trailokya-vartanaḥrevolution of the three worlds
  6. tiryakanimals lower than the human beings
  7. nṛhuman beings
  8. pitṛof the Pitā planets
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the connection between activities and future conditions encourage me to act carefully?

Practice

Before one action today, pause to consider its possible consequences.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLiving Beings Appear According to Their ActivitiesThis 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 3.11.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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