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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 14: Pregnancy of Diti in the Evening
3.14.413.14.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.14.42

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Ditisince 3.14.42inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

दितिरुवाच

वधं भगवता साक्षात्सुनाभोदारबाहुना ।

आशासे पुत्रयोर्मह्यं मा क्रुद्धाद्ब्राह्मणाद्प्रभो ॥ ४२ ॥

ditir uvāca

vadhaṁ bhagavatā sākṣāt

sunābhodāra-bāhunā

āśāse putrayor mahyaṁ

mā kruddhād brāhmaṇād prabho

Translation

Diti said: It is very good that my sons will be magnanimously killed by the arms of the Personality of Godhead with His Sudarśana weapon. O my husband, may they never be killed by the wrath of the brāhmaṇa devotees.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Diti Recognizes the Lord’s Mercy

  1. 1

    Diti was anxious that her sons might be killed by the wrath of the brāhmaṇas. She instead wished that they would be killed directly by the Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    The devotee does not demand that the Lord appear to remove personal troubles. Rather, the Lord Himself is anxious to protect His devotees.

  3. 3

    Diti understood that the Lord’s wheel and arms are magnanimous. Being killed by His wheel and seeing His arms would be sufficient for her sons’ liberation.

Key points from the purport
  • When Diti heard from her husband that the great souls would be angered by the activities of her sons, she was very anxious.
  • Diti knew well that the killing of her sons by the Lord would also be His mercy, and therefore she says that the wheel and arms of the Lord are magnanimous.
  • If someone is killed by the wheel of the Lord and is thus fortunate enough to see the arms of the Lord, that is sufficient for his liberation.

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. ditiḥ uvācaDiti said
  2. vadhamthe killing
  3. bhagavatāby the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. sākṣātdirectly
  5. sunābhawith His Sudarśana weapon
  6. udāravery magnanimous
  7. bāhunāby the arms
  8. āśāseI desire
3

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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.14

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotee”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

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

    In this verse: “protect”

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

What can I learn from the Lord’s eagerness to protect His devotees?

Practice

Spend a quiet moment appreciating the Lord’s protective care without asking Him for a personal favor.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDiti Recognizes the Lord’s MercyThis 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 3.14.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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