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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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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 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha
3.13.153.13.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.16

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.13.16inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

परमेष्ठी त्वपां मध्ये तथा सन्नामवेक्ष्य गाम् ।

कथमेनां समुन्नेष्य इति दध्यौ धिया चिरम् ॥ १६ ॥

maitreya uvāca

parameṣṭhī tv apāṁ madhye

tathā sannām avekṣya gām

katham enāṁ samunneṣya

iti dadhyau dhiyā ciram

Translation

Śrī Maitreya said: Thus, seeing the earth merged in the water, Brahmā gave his attention for a long time to how it could be lifted.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Give Serious Attention to Your Responsibility

  1. 1

    Seeing the earth submerged in water, Brahmā gives prolonged attention to how it can be lifted.

  2. 2

    According to Jīva Gosvāmī, the topics described here belong to different millenniums.

  3. 3

    The present account concerns the Śveta-varāha millennium. The chapter also discusses topics concerning the Cākṣuṣa millennium.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Jīva Gosvāmī, the topics delineated here are of different millenniums.
  • The present topics are of the Śveta-varāha millennium, and topics regarding the Cākṣuṣa millennium will also be discussed in this chapter.

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

Threat and anger → Rescue and wonder. Divine protection appears amid cosmic confrontation.

Chapters 13–19 of Canto 3: Varāha, Jaya and Vijaya, Hiraṇyākṣa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha

Lord Varāha appears from Brahmā’s nose, lifts the submerged earth, and receives the sages’ prayers.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.13
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācaŚrī Maitreya Muni said
  2. parameṣṭhīBrahmā
  3. tualso
  4. apāmthe water
  5. madhyewithin
  6. tathāthus
  7. sannāmsituated
  8. avekṣyaseeing
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

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

Which responsibility in your life needs patient attention rather than a hurried response?

Practice

Set aside five uninterrupted minutes to consider how to address one responsibility carefully.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGive Serious Attention to Your ResponsibilityThis 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 3.13.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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