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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
3.12.63.12.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.12.7

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.12.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

धिया निगृह्यमाणोऽपि भ्रुवोर्मध्यात्प्रजापते: ।

सद्योऽजायत तन्मन्यु: कुमारो नीललोहित: ॥ ७ ॥

dhiyā nigṛhyamāṇo ’pi

bhruvor madhyāt prajāpateḥ

sadyo ’jāyata tan-manyuḥ

kumāro nīla-lohitaḥ

Translation

Although he tried to curb his anger, it came out from between his eyebrows, and a child mixed blue and red was immediately generated.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Anger Arises From Passion and Ignorance

  1. 1

    Although Brahmā tried to curb his anger, it emerged from between his eyebrows as a child.

  2. 2

    The child was Rudra, whose mixed blue and red color represented ignorance and passion.

  3. 3

    Anger is a product of passion and ignorance. Its face is the same whether exhibited by someone in ignorance or someone with knowledge.

Key points from the purport
  • The face of anger is the same whether exhibited due to ignorance or knowledge.
  • Although Brahmā tried to curb his anger, he could not do so, even though he is the supreme being.
  • Such anger in its true color came from between the eyebrows of Brahmā as Rudra, in a mixed color of blue (ignorance) and red (passion), because anger is the product of passion and ignorance.

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. dhiyāby intelligence
  2. nigṛhyamāṇaḥbeing controlled
  3. apiin spite of
  4. bhruvoḥof the eyebrows
  5. madhyātfrom between
  6. prajāpateḥof Brahmā
  7. sadyaḥat once
  8. ajāyatagenerated
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: “child”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Do I excuse my anger because I believe I know better?

Practice

When irritation appears today, pause and acknowledge it as anger rather than justifying it through your knowledge.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAnger Arises From Passion and IgnoranceThis 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 3.12.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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