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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
3.13.433.13.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.44

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
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

विधुन्वता वेदमयं निजं वपु-

र्जनस्तप:सत्यनिवासिनो वयम् ।

सटाशिखोद्धूतशिवाम्बुबिन्दुभि-

र्विमृज्यमाना भृशमीश पाविता: ॥ ४४ ॥

vidhunvatā vedamayaṁ nijaṁ vapur

janas-tapaḥ-satya-nivāsino vayam

saṭā-śikhoddhūta-śivāmbu-bindubhir

vimṛjyamānā bhṛśam īśa pāvitāḥ

Translation

O Supreme Lord, undoubtedly we are inhabitants of the most pious planets — the Jana, Tapas and Satya lokas — but still we have been purified by the drops of water sprinkled from Your shoulder hairs by the shaking of Your body.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Transcendental Form Purifies

  1. 1

    The Lord’s boar form must not be considered impure like an ordinary hog’s body. His form is transcendental and is the personified Vedas.

  2. 2

    Even the most pious inhabitants of the higher planets remain within the material world, where impurities exist. They felt purified by water sprinkled from the Lord’s shoulder hairs.

  3. 3

    The Ganges water from the Lord’s toe and the water from Lord Boar’s shoulder hairs are both absolute and transcendental.

Key points from the purport
  • Ordinarily the body of a hog is considered impure, but one should not consider that the hog incarnation assumed by the Lord is also impure.
  • The inhabitants of the Jana, Tapas and Satya lokas are the most pious persons in the material world, but because those planets are situated in the material world, there are so many material impurities there also.
  • Therefore, when the drops of water from the tips of the Lord’s shoulder hairs were sprinkled upon the bodies of the inhabitants of the higher planets, they felt purified.

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. vidhunvatāwhile shaking
  2. veda-mayampersonified Vedas
  3. nijamown
  4. vapuḥbody
  5. janaḥthe Janaloka planetary system
  6. tapaḥthe Tapoloka planetary system
  7. satyathe Satyaloka planetary system
  8. nivāsinaḥthe inhabitants
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “purified”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “material”

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

Am I learning to distinguish the Lord’s transcendental form from an ordinary material body?

Practice

Reread the translation and reflect for a moment on the purifying nature of the Lord’s form.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Transcendental Form PurifiesThis 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.

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