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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
3.12.403.12.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.12.41

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.12.37inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

विद्या दानं तप: सत्यं धर्मस्येति पदानि च ।

आश्रमांश्च यथासंख्यमसृजत्सह वृत्तिभि: ॥ ४१ ॥

vidyā dānaṁ tapaḥ satyaṁ

dharmasyeti padāni ca

āśramāṁś ca yathā-saṅkhyam

asṛjat saha vṛttibhiḥ

Translation

Education, charity, penance and truth are said to be the four legs of religion, and to learn this there are four orders of life with different classifications of castes according to vocation. Brahmā created all these in systematic order.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Social Life Should Support Self-Realization

  1. 1

    Education, charity, penance and truth are the four legs of religion. Brahmā systematically created the social divisions and orders of life for the regular promotion of self-realization.

  2. 2

    Student life is for education; household life allows sense gratification with charity. Retired life is for spiritual penance, and renounced life is for preaching the Absolute Truth.

  3. 3

    Education should purify the animal propensities of human beings. The highest purificatory process is knowledge of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the purest of the pure.

Key points from the purport
  • The nucleus of the four social orders — brahmacarya, or student life, gṛhastha, or householder family life, vānaprastha, or retired life for practicing penance, and sannyāsa, or renounced life for preaching the truth — is the four legs of religion.
  • Student life is meant for acquiring the best education; household family life is meant for gratifying the senses, provided it is performed with a charitable disposition of mind; retirement from household life is meant for penance, for advancement in spiritual life; and renounced life is meant for preaching the Absolute Truth to the people in general.
  • The beginning of this social institution is based on education meant for purifying the animal propensities of the human being.

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. vidyāeducation
  2. dānamcharity
  3. tapaḥpenance
  4. satyamtruth
  5. dharmasyaof religion
  6. itithus
  7. padānifour legs
  8. caalso
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “household”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 3.12

    In this verse: “religion”

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 my present duties become more favorable for self-realization?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today to study the teaching about the Supreme Personality of Godhead in this purport.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySocial Life Should Support Self-RealizationThis 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 3.12.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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