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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha
3.13.173.13.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

इत्यभिध्यायतो नासाविवरात्सहसानघ ।

वराहतोको निरगादङ्गुष्ठपरिमाणक: ॥ १८ ॥

ity abhidhyāyato nāsā-

vivarāt sahasānagha

varāha-toko niragād

aṅguṣṭha-parimāṇakaḥ

Translation

O sinless Vidura, all of a sudden, while Brahmā was engaged in thinking, a small form of a boar came out of his nostril. The measurement of the creature was not more than the upper portion of a thumb.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Attend to the Unexpected Appearance

  1. 1

    While Brahmā is engaged in thinking, a small boar form appears suddenly.

  2. 2

    The form comes out of Brahmā's nostril.

  3. 3

    At this appearance, the creature measures no more than the upper portion of a thumb.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. itithus
  2. abhidhyāyataḥwhile thinking
  3. nāsā-vivarātfrom the nostrils
  4. sahasāall of a sudden
  5. anaghaO sinless one
  6. varāha-tokaḥa minute form of Varāha (a boar)
  7. niragātcame out
  8. aṅguṣṭhathe upper portion of the thumb
  9. parimāṇakaḥof the measurement
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 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 detail of this sudden appearance most draws your attention?

Practice

Reread the translation slowly and pause to picture the small form exactly as described.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAttend to the Unexpected AppearanceThis 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 3.13.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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