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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 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom
3.11.293.11.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.30

Nirodha· Winding up
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

त्रिलोक्यां दह्यमानायां शक्त्या सङ्कर्षणाग्निना ।

यान्त्यूष्मणा महर्लोकाज्जनं भृग्वादयोऽर्दिता: ॥ ३० ॥

tri-lokyāṁ dahyamānāyāṁ

śaktyā saṅkarṣaṇāgninā

yānty ūṣmaṇā maharlokāj

janaṁ bhṛgv-ādayo ’rditāḥ

Translation

The devastation takes place due to the fire emanating from the mouth of Saṅkarṣaṇa, and thus great sages like Bhṛgu and other inhabitants of Maharloka transport themselves to Janaloka, being distressed by the warmth of the blazing fire which rages through the three worlds below.

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.

Sages Move Beyond the Blazing Worlds

  1. 1

    The devastation takes place through fire emanating from the mouth of Saṅkarṣaṇa.

  2. 2

    The fire rages through the three worlds below Maharloka. Its warmth distresses the inhabitants of Maharloka.

  3. 3

    Great sages such as Bhṛgu and other inhabitants of Maharloka transport themselves to Janaloka.

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. tri-lokyāmwhen the spheres of the three worlds
  2. dahyamānāyāmbeing set ablaze
  3. śaktyāby the potency
  4. saṅkarṣaṇafrom the mouth of Saṅkarṣaṇa
  5. agnināby the fire
  6. yāntithey go
  7. ūṣmaṇāheated by the warmth
  8. mahaḥ-lokātfrom Maharloka
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.11

    In this verse: “distressed”, “distresses”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the sages’ movement reveal about the reach of this devastation?

Practice

Trace the verse’s sequence in a short note: fire from Saṅkarṣaṇa, distress in Maharloka, and movement to Janaloka.

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 3.11's connections

Live this todaySages Move Beyond the Blazing WorldsThis 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 3.11.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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