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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 12: Creation of the Kumāras and Others
3.12.273.12.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.12.28

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.12.20inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

वाचं दुहितरं तन्वीं स्वयम्भूर्हरतीं मन: ।

अकामां चकमे क्षत्त: सकाम इति न: श्रुतम् ॥ २८ ॥

vācaṁ duhitaraṁ tanvīṁ

svayambhūr haratīṁ manaḥ

akāmāṁ cakame kṣattaḥ

sa-kāma iti naḥ śrutam

Translation

O Vidura, we have heard that Brahmā had a daughter named Vāk who was born from his body and who attracted his mind toward sex, although she was not sexually inclined towards him.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take the Power of the Senses Seriously

  1. 1

    The senses are so strong that they can bewilder even a very learned person. Brahmā’s attraction to his daughter Vāk is presented as a serious warning.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that this failure could not have occurred after Brahmā heard Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam directly from the Lord and received His blessing against bewilderment.

  3. 3

    Unrestricted association between men and women is described as an impediment to spiritual progress. Maitreya recounts this incident to warn against the danger of sexual bondage.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore it is advised that one should not indulge in living alone even with one’s mother, sister or daughter.
  • Maitreya hesitated to state this anomaly on the part of Brahmā, who was sexually inclined to his own daughter, but still he mentioned it because sometimes it so happens, and the living example is Brahmā himself, although he is the primeval living being and the most learned within the whole universe.
  • Maitreya cited this example on the part of Brahmā just to bring to our notice this great danger.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 3.12.28 quotesSB 9.19.17

Balavān indriya-grāmo vidvāṁsam api karṣati. It is said that the senses are so mad and strong that they can bewilder even the most sensible and learned man.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vācamVāk
  2. duhitaramunto the daughter
  3. tanvīmborn of his body
  4. svayambhūḥBrahmā
  5. haratīmattracting
  6. manaḥhis mind
  7. akāmāmwithout being sexually inclined
  8. cakamedesired
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “danger”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “blessing”

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

Where might confidence in your own learning make you underestimate the power of the senses?

Practice

Set one clear boundary today around an association that stirs sexual desire and obstructs your spiritual progress.

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.

The purport quotesSB 9.19.17

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.12's connections

Live this todayTake the Power of the Senses SeriouslyThis 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 3.12.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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