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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 15: Description of the Kingdom of God
3.15.263.15.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.15.24inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Brahmā → the demigods

तस्मिन्नतीत्य मुनय: षडसज्जमाना:

कक्षा: समानवयसावथ सप्तमायाम् ।

देवावचक्षत गृहीतगदौ परार्ध्य-

केयूरकुण्डलकिरीटविटङ्कवेषौ ॥ २७ ॥

tasminn atītya munayaḥ ṣaḍ asajjamānāḥ

kakṣāḥ samāna-vayasāv atha saptamāyām

devāv acakṣata gṛhīta-gadau parārdhya-

keyūra-kuṇḍala-kirīṭa-viṭaṅka-veṣau

Translation

After passing through the six entrances of Vaikuṇṭha-purī, the Lord’s residence, without feeling astonishment at all the decorations, they saw at the seventh gate two shining beings of the same age, armed with maces and adorned with most valuable jewelry, earrings, diamonds, helmets, garments, etc.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Eagerness to See the Lord Comes First

  1. 1

    The sages were so eager to see the Lord that they passed six entrances without dwelling on their transcendental decorations.

  2. 2

    At the seventh gate, they saw two shining doormen of the same age. In Vaikuṇṭha there is no old age, so one cannot distinguish who is older.

  3. 3

    Vaikuṇṭha’s inhabitants are decorated like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa. They bear the conch, wheel, club and lotus.

Key points from the purport
  • The sages were so eager to see the Lord within Vaikuṇṭha-purī that they did not care to see the transcendental decorations of the six gates which they passed by one after another.
  • But at the seventh door they found two doormen of the same age.
  • The significance of the doormen’s being of the same age is that in the Vaikuṇṭha planets there is no old age, so one cannot distinguish who is older than whom.

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 15: Description of the Kingdom of God

Brahmā describes Vaikuṇṭha, where the Kumāras curse two doorkeepers and then behold the Lord.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.15
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasminin that Vaikuṇṭha
  2. atītyaafter passing through
  3. munayaḥthe great sages
  4. ṣaṭsix
  5. asajja mānāḥwithout being much attracted
  6. kakṣāḥwalls
  7. samānaequal
  8. vayasauage
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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

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 sages’ eagerness to see the Lord rather than linger over decorations?

Practice

Reread the verse today, focusing on the sages’ desire to see the Lord rather than on the splendor around them.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEagerness to See the Lord Comes FirstThis 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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