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 14: Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening
3.14.313.14.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.14.32

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.14.30inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

अथोपस्पृश्य सलिलं प्राणानायम्य वाग्यत: ।

ध्यायञ्जजाप विरजं ब्रह्म ज्योति: सनातनम् ॥ ३२ ॥

athopaspṛśya salilaṁ

prāṇān āyamya vāg-yataḥ

dhyāyañ jajāpa virajaṁ

brahma jyotiḥ sanātanam

Translation

Thereafter the brāhmaṇa took his bath in the water and controlled his speech by practicing trance, meditating on the eternal effulgence and chanting the holy Gāyatrī hymns within his mouth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Holy Name Protects in Every Condition

  1. 1

    Kaśyapa bathed, controlled his speech, and chanted Gāyatrī while meditating on the impersonal brahmajyoti. The purport explains the need for washing after sexual intercourse.

  2. 2

    Chanting so that only the chanter can hear is called japa; loud chanting is called kīrtana. The Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra can be chanted in either way.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that a higher spiritual taste helps one give up lower pleasures. The mahā-mantra is so powerful that one can chant in any condition and receive protection from the evils of material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • When a Vedic mantra is chanted within the mouth so that only the chanter can hear, the chanting is called japa.
  • The Vedic hymn Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare can be chanted both softly to oneself or loudly; therefore it is called the mahā-mantra, or the great hymn.
  • One is supposed to be purified after taking bath and chanting Gāyatrī, but the mahā-mantra is so powerful that one can chant loudly or softly, in any condition, and he is protected from all the evils of material existence.

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. athathereafter
  2. upaspṛśyatouching or taking bath in water
  3. salilamwater
  4. prāṇān āyamyapracticing trance
  5. vāk-yataḥcontrolling speech
  6. dhyāyanmeditating
  7. jajāpachanted within the mouth
  8. virajampure
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.14

    In this verse: “chanting”, “chanted”, “kīrtana”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 3.14

    In this verse: “protection”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.14

    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 waiting for ideal conditions before chanting the holy name?

Practice

Chant softly today: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Holy Name Protects in Every ConditionThis 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 3.14.32? 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