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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
3.13.63.13.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.13.7

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.13.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्वमेक: सर्वभूतानां जन्मकृद् वृत्तिद: पिता ।

तथापि न: प्रजानां ते शुश्रूषा केन वा भवेत् ॥ ७ ॥

tvam ekaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

janma-kṛd vṛttidaḥ pitā

tathāpi naḥ prajānāṁ te

śuśrūṣā kena vā bhavet

Translation

You are the father of all living entities and the source of their subsistence because they are all born of you. Please order us how we may be able to render service unto you.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Receive Care and Offer Service

  1. 1

    The speaker acknowledges his father as the source of birth and subsistence, then asks how to serve him.

  2. 2

    A father’s duty is to bring up his son until the son is grown.

  3. 3

    A grown son’s duty is not merely to receive support but to render service to his father. The purport describes this as the law of creation beginning from Brahmā.

Key points from the purport
  • A son’s duty is not only to make the father the source of supply for all his needs, but also, when he is grown up, to render service unto him.
  • That is the law of creation beginning from the time 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. tvamyou
  2. ekaḥone
  3. sarvaall
  4. bhūtānāmliving entities
  5. janma-kṛtprogenitor
  6. vṛtti-daḥsource of subsistence
  7. pitāthe father
  8. tathā apiyet
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “father”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 3.13

    In this verse: “duty”

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

Do I think only of the support I receive, or also of the service I can offer?

Practice

Identify one small, practical way to serve your father today, and carry it out if possible.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReceive Care and Offer ServiceThis 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 3.13.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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