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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
3.15.353.15.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.36

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The sagessince 3.15.32inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Brahmā → the demigods

भूयादघोनि भगवद्‍‌भिरकारि दण्डो

यो नौ हरेत सुरहेलनमप्यशेषम् ।

मा वोऽनुतापकलया भगवत्स्मृतिघ्नो

मोहो भवेदिह तु नौ व्रजतोरधोऽध: ॥ ३६ ॥

bhūyād aghoni bhagavadbhir akāri daṇḍo

yo nau hareta sura-helanam apy aśeṣam

mā vo ’nutāpa-kalayā bhagavat-smṛti-ghno

moho bhaved iha tu nau vrajator adho ’dhaḥ

Translation

After being cursed by the sages, the doormen said: It is quite apt that you have punished us for neglecting to respect sages like you. But we pray that due to your compassion at our repentance, the illusion of forgetting the Supreme Personality of Godhead will not come upon us as we go progressively downward.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pray Never to Forget the Lord

  1. 1

    The doormen accepted their punishment because they understood their offense in preventing the sages from entering Vaikuṇṭhaloka.

  2. 2

    To a devotee, even heavy punishment is tolerable, but forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord is not. The doormen prayed that their coming lives would not destroy their remembrance of Him.

  3. 3

    Envy of the Lord and His devotees leads to lower forms of life, where forgetfulness of Him is prominent. The doormen therefore appealed for compassion in their repentance.

Key points from the purport
  • To a devotee, any heavy punishment is tolerable but the one which effects forgetfulness of the Supreme Lord.
  • The doormen were aware that they were going to the criminal department of the material world, and they expected that they might go to the lowest species and forget the Supreme Lord.
  • In Bhagavad-gītā, Sixteenth Chapter, verses 19 and 20, it is said that those who are envious of the Lord and His devotees are thrown into the species of abominable life; life after life such fools are unable to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore they continue going down and down.

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. bhūyātlet it be
  2. aghonifor the sinful
  3. bhagavadbhiḥby you
  4. akāriwas done
  5. daṇḍaḥpunishment
  6. yaḥthat which
  7. nauin relation to us
  8. haretashould destroy
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “illusion”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “compassion”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

When I face difficulties, how important is remembering the Supreme Lord to me?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer asking to remember the Supreme Personality of Godhead even in difficulty.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPray Never to Forget the LordThis 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 3.15.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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