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

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

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
3.13.213.13.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.22

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

द‍ृष्टोऽङ्गुष्ठशिरोमात्र: क्षणाद्‍गण्डशिलासम: ।

अपि स्विद्भगवानेष यज्ञो मे खेदयन्मन: ॥ २२ ॥

dṛṣṭo ’ṅguṣṭha-śiro-mātraḥ

kṣaṇād gaṇḍa-śilā-samaḥ

api svid bhagavān eṣa

yajño me khedayan manaḥ

Translation

First of all this boar was seen no bigger than the tip of a thumb, and within a moment He was as large as a stone. My mind is perturbed. Is He the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Viṣṇu?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Can Bewilder Even Brahmā

  1. 1

    The boar grew from the size of a thumb tip to the size of a large stone within a moment.

  2. 2

    Although Brahmā is the supermost person in the universe, he had never experienced such a form. He guessed that this wonderful boar was an incarnation of Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    The uncommon features of an incarnation of Godhead can bewilder even Brahmā’s mind.

Key points from the purport
  • Since Brahmā is the supermost person in the universe and he had never before experienced such a form, he could guess that the wonderful appearance of the boar was an incarnation of Viṣṇu.
  • The uncommon features symptomatic of the incarnation of Godhead can bewilder even the mind of Brahmā.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dṛṣṭaḥjust seen
  2. aṅguṣṭhathumb
  3. śiraḥtip
  4. mātraḥonly
  5. kṣaṇātimmediately
  6. gaṇḍa-śilālarge stone
  7. samaḥlike
  8. api svitwhether
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

What does Brahmā’s bewilderment teach me about the limits of my own understanding?

Practice

Pause after reading and acknowledge one thing about the Lord’s appearance that you do not yet understand.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Can Bewilder Even BrahmāThis 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 3.13.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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