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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
3.11.403.11.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.41

Sthāna· The universe in order
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

दशोत्तराधिकैर्यत्र प्रविष्ट: परमाणुवत् ।

लक्ष्यतेऽन्तर्गताश्चान्ये कोटिशो ह्यण्डराशय: ॥ ४१ ॥

daśottarādhikair yatra

praviṣṭaḥ paramāṇuvat

lakṣyate ’ntar-gatāś cānye

koṭiśo hy aṇḍa-rāśayaḥ

Translation

The layers or elements covering the universes are each ten times thicker than the one before, and all the universes clustered together appear like atoms in a huge combination.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Universes Appear Like Atoms

  1. 1

    The coverings of the universes consist of earth, water, fire, air and ether. Each covering is ten times thicker than the one before it.

  2. 2

    The first covering, earth, is ten times thicker than the universe itself. Within these vast coverings, the universe appears like an atom.

  3. 3

    All the universes clustered together appear like atoms in a huge combination. Their number is unknown even to those who can estimate their coverings.

Key points from the purport
  • The coverings of the universes are also constituted of the elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether, and each is ten times thicker than the one before.
  • The first covering of the universe is earth, and it is ten times thicker than the universe itself.
  • The covering of water is ten times greater than the earthly covering, the covering of fire is ten times greater than the watery covering, the covering of air is ten times greater than that of the fire, the covering of ether is ten times greater still than that of air, and so on.

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. daśa-uttara-adhikaiḥwith ten times greater thickness
  2. yatrain which
  3. praviṣṭaḥentered
  4. parama-aṇu-vatlike atoms
  5. lakṣyateit (the mass of universes) appears
  6. antaḥ-gatāḥcome together
  7. caand
  8. anyein the other
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 help me recognize the limits of what I can measure and know?

Practice

Today, write down the five coverings in order, noting how each increases tenfold, and pause to consider the vastness described.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUniverses Appear Like AtomsThis 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 3.11.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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