1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

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 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others
3.12.133.12.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.12.14

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.12.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

गृहाणैतानि नामानि स्थानानि च सयोषण: ।

एभि: सृज प्रजा बह्वी: प्रजानामसि यत्पति: ॥ १४ ॥

gṛhāṇaitāni nāmāni

sthānāni ca sa-yoṣaṇaḥ

ebhiḥ sṛja prajā bahvīḥ

prajānām asi yat patiḥ

Translation

My dear boy, you may now accept all the names and places designated for you and your different wives, and since you are now one of the masters of the living entities, you may increase the population on a large scale.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Family Duties and Higher Purposes

  1. 1

    Brahmā selected Rudra’s wives, living places and names. He asked Rudra, as one of the masters of living entities, to increase the population.

  2. 2

    The purport describes accepting a father’s arrangements as the general course for increasing the population of the world.

  3. 3

    The Kumāras declined their father’s offering because they were elevated beyond generating many sons. For higher purposes, a son may refuse such an order, and a father may refuse to support further population increase.

Key points from the purport
  • Brahmā, as the father of Rudra, selected the wives of his son, his living places, and his names as well.
  • It is natural that one should accept the wife selected by one’s father, just as a son accepts the name given by the father or as he accepts the property offered by the father.
  • As the son can refuse the order of the father for higher purposes, so the father can refuse to maintain his sons in increasing population because of higher purposes.

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 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others

Brahmā’s creation continues with sages, Rudra, sacrificial practices, religious principles, and further forms of life.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gṛhāṇajust accept
  2. etāniall these
  3. nāmānidifferent names
  4. sthānānias well as places
  5. caalso
  6. sa-yoṣaṇaḥalong with wives
  7. ebhiḥwith them
  8. sṛjajust generate
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “father’s”

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 can I distinguish an ordinary family expectation from a genuinely higher purpose?

Practice

Reflect on one family responsibility today and write down the purpose it serves.

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 3.12's connections

Live this todayFamily Duties and Higher PurposesThis 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 3.12.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories