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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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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 14: Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening
3.14.123.14.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.14.13

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.14.5inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

पुरा पिता नो भगवान्दक्षो दुहितृवत्सल: ।

कं वृणीत वरं वत्सा इत्यपृच्छत न: पृथक् ॥ १३ ॥

purā pitā no bhagavān

dakṣo duhitṛ-vatsalaḥ

kaṁ vṛṇīta varaṁ vatsā

ity apṛcchata naḥ pṛthak

Translation

In days long ago, our father, the most opulent Dakṣa, who was affectionate to his daughters, asked each of us separately whom we would prefer to select as our husband.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Choice Guided by Character and Care

  1. 1

    Dakṣa was affectionate toward his daughters and asked each separately whom she wished to marry.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that choosing a husband was allowed, but not through free association. The prospective husband was known by his acts and personality.

  3. 3

    The daughters expressed their preferences, while the final selection depended on their father's choice.

Key points from the purport
  • It appears from this verse that free selection of a husband was allowed by the father, but not by free association.
  • The daughters were asked separately to submit their selection of a husband who was famous for his acts and personality.
  • The ultimate selection depended on the choice of the father.

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 14: Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening

Diti desires sons, her husband performs a forbidden act, and their sons’ destruction by the Lord is foretold.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. purāin days long ago
  2. pitāfather
  3. naḥour
  4. bhagavānthe most opulent
  5. dakṣaḥDakṣa
  6. duhitṛ-vatsalaḥaffectionate to his daughters
  7. kamunto whom
  8. vṛṇītayou want to accept
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 3.14

    In this verse: “father”, “father's”

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 much importance do I give to a person's actions and character when making an important choice?

Practice

Write down one quality of character you value, along with an action that would show it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.14's connections

Live this todayChoice Guided by Character and CareThis 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 3.14.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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