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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

3.12.44 3.12.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.12.45

Visarga· Brahmā's creation

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

तस्योष्णिगासील्लोमभ्यो गायत्री च त्वचो विभो: ।

त्रिष्टुम्मांसात्स्‍नुतोऽनुष्टुब्जगत्यस्थ्न: प्रजापते: ॥ ४५ ॥

tasyoṣṇig āsīl lomabhyo

gāyatrī ca tvaco vibhoḥ

triṣṭum māṁsāt snuto ’nuṣṭub

jagaty asthnaḥ prajāpateḥ

Translation

Thereafter the art of literary expression, uṣṇik, was generated from the hairs on the body of the almighty Prajāpati. The principal Vedic hymn, gāyatrī, was generated from the skin, triṣṭup from the flesh, anuṣṭup from the veins, and jagatī from the bones of the lord of the living entities.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vedic Literary Forms Manifest From Prajāpati

1
The art of literary expression, uṣṇik, was generated from the hairs on the body of the almighty Prajāpati.
2
The principal Vedic hymn, gāyatrī, was generated from his skin. Triṣṭup was generated from his flesh.
3
Anuṣṭup was generated from his veins, and jagatī from his bones.

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

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tasyahis
uṣṇikone of the Vedic meters
āsītgenerated
lomabhyaḥfrom the hairs on the body
gāyatrīthe principal Vedic hymn
caalso
tvacaḥfrom the skin
vibhoḥof the Lord

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

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does this description deepen my appreciation of the origins of Vedic literary expression?

Practice

Write down the five literary forms named in the translation, each beside its stated source.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVedic Literary Forms Manifest From PrajāpatiThis 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 3.12.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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