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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
3.15.273.15.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.28

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

मत्तद्विरेफवनमालिकया निवीतौ

विन्यस्तयासितचतुष्टयबाहुमध्ये ।

वक्त्रं भ्रुवा कुटिलया स्फुटनिर्गमाभ्यां

रक्तेक्षणेन च मनाग्रभसं दधानौ ॥ २८ ॥

matta-dvirepha-vanamālikayā nivītau

vinyastayāsita-catuṣṭaya-bāhu-madhye

vaktraṁ bhruvā kuṭilayā sphuṭa-nirgamābhyāṁ

raktekṣaṇena ca manāg rabhasaṁ dadhānau

Translation

The two doormen were garlanded with fresh flowers which attracted intoxicated bees and which were placed around their necks and between their four blue arms. From their arched eyebrows, discontented nostrils and reddish eyes, they appeared somewhat agitated.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Everything in Vaikuṇṭha Is Fresh

  1. 1

    The doormen wore garlands of fresh flowers that attracted swarms of intoxicated bees.

  2. 2

    In the Vaikuṇṭha world, everything is fresh, new and transcendental.

  3. 3

    The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha have bluish bodies and four hands like Nārāyaṇa. Yet the doormen’s faces showed some agitation.

Key points from the purport
  • Their garlands attracted swarms of bees because they were garlands of fresh flowers.
  • In the Vaikuṇṭha world everything is fresh, new and transcendental.
  • The inhabitants of Vaikuṇṭha have bodies of bluish color and four hands like Nārāyaṇa.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. mattaintoxicated
  2. dvi-rephabees
  3. vana-mālikayāwith a garland of fresh flowers
  4. nivītauhanging on the neck
  5. vinyastayāplaced around
  6. asitablue
  7. catuṣṭayafour
  8. bāhuhands
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

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 stands out to you about the freshness of Vaikuṇṭha?

Practice

Spend one minute rereading the description of Vaikuṇṭha’s freshness and the forms of its inhabitants.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEverything in Vaikuṇṭha Is FreshThis 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 3.15.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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