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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 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha
3.13.203.13.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.21

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

किमेतत्सूकरव्याजं सत्त्वं दिव्यमवस्थितम् ।

अहो बताश्चर्यमिदं नासाया मे विनि:सृतम् ॥ २१ ॥

kim etat sūkara-vyājaṁ

sattvaṁ divyam avasthitam

aho batāścaryam idaṁ

nāsāyā me viniḥsṛtam

Translation

Is this some extraordinary entity come in the pretense of a boar? It is very wonderful that He has come from my nose.

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.

Wonder at an Extraordinary Appearance

  1. 1

    The speaker wonders whether this boar is an extraordinary being appearing in that form.

  2. 2

    He is amazed that the boar has come from his nose.

  3. 3

    His response is one of wonder and inquiry rather than an immediate explanation.

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. kimwhat
  2. etatthis
  3. sūkaraboar
  4. vyājampretension
  5. sattvamentity
  6. divyamextraordinary
  7. avasthitamsituated
  8. aho bataoh, it is
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “inquiry”

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 wonder help me read this appearance with greater attention?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once more, pausing over the words “very wonderful.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWonder at an Extraordinary 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 3.13.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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