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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 3 · Chapter 13: The Appearance of Lord Varāha
3.13.353.13.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.36

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

स्रक्तुण्ड आसीत्स्रुव ईश नासयो-

रिडोदरे चमसा: कर्णरन्ध्रे ।

प्राशित्रमास्ये ग्रसने ग्रहास्तु ते

यच्चर्वणं ते भगवन्नग्निहोत्रम् ॥ ३६ ॥

srak tuṇḍa āsīt sruva īśa nāsayor

iḍodare camasāḥ karṇa-randhre

prāśitram āsye grasane grahās tu te

yac carvaṇaṁ te bhagavann agni-hotram

Translation

O Lord, Your tongue is a plate of sacrifice, Your nostril is another plate of sacrifice, in Your belly is the eating plate of sacrifice, and another plate of sacrifice is the holes of Your ears. In Your mouth is the Brahmā plate of sacrifice, Your throat is the plate of sacrifice known as soma, and whatever You chew is known as agni-hotra.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Service Fulfills the Purpose of Sacrifice

  1. 1

    Different sacrificial plates correspond to parts of the Lord’s body. Sacrifice cannot yield its intended results unless its strict regulations are followed.

  2. 2

    In the Age of Kali, there is practically no facility for performing these sacrifices in strict discipline. The prescribed sacrifice is saṅkīrtana-yajña, to please Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s incarnation is Yajñeśvara, and respect for Him is necessary for perfect sacrifice. Taking shelter of the Lord and rendering service to Him is the factual performance of all sacrifices.

Key points from the purport
  • The veda-vādīs say that there is nothing more than the Vedas and the performances of sacrifice mentioned in the Vedas.
  • Therefore, in this Age of Kali there is a stricture regarding such sacrifices: it is explicitly directed that one should perform saṅkīrtana-yajña and nothing more.
  • The incarnation of the Supreme Lord is Yajñeśvara, and unless one has respect for the incarnation of the Lord, he cannot perfectly perform sacrifice.

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. srakthe plate for sacrifice
  2. tuṇḍeon the tongue
  3. āsītthere is
  4. sruvaḥanother plate for sacrifice
  5. īśaO Lord
  6. nāsayoḥof the nostrils
  7. iḍāthe plate for eating
  8. udarein the belly
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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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 I make pleasing the Lord, rather than merely completing a ritual, my purpose?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to take part in saṅkīrtana-yajña.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayService Fulfills the Purpose of SacrificeThis 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 3.13.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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