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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
3.11.33.11.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.4

Sthāna· The universe in order
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

स काल: परमाणुर्वै यो भुङ्क्ते परमाणुताम् ।

सतोऽविशेषभुग्यस्तु स काल: परमो महान् ॥ ४ ॥

sa kālaḥ paramāṇur vai

yo bhuṅkte paramāṇutām

sato ’viśeṣa-bhug yas tu

sa kālaḥ paramo mahān

Translation

Atomic time is measured according to its covering a particular atomic space. That time which covers the unmanifest aggregate of atoms is called the great time.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Time and Space Are Related

  1. 1

    Time and space are correlative terms. Time is measured by its covering a certain space of atoms.

  2. 2

    Standard time is calculated through the sun’s movement. The time the sun takes to pass over an atom is called atomic time.

  3. 3

    The supreme kāla covers the complete span of creation, maintenance and dissolution. It is measured through the circulation of the total planetary systems until the end of creation.

Key points from the purport
  • Time is measured in terms of its covering a certain space of atoms.
  • Standard time is calculated in terms of the movement of the sun.
  • The complete calculation of the time of creation, maintenance and dissolution, measured in terms of the circulation of the total planetary systems until the end of creation, is known as the supreme kāla.

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

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. saḥthat
  2. kālaḥeternal time
  3. parama-aṇuḥatomic
  4. vaicertainly
  5. yaḥwhich
  6. bhuṅktepasses through
  7. parama-aṇutāmthe space of an atom
  8. sataḥof the entire aggregate
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description broaden your view of time beyond daily measurements?

Practice

Write down the two scales described here: atomic time and the complete time of creation, maintenance and dissolution.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTime and Space Are RelatedThis 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 3.11.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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