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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
3.15.443.15.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.45

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

पुंसां गतिं मृगयतामिह योगमार्गै-

र्ध्यानास्पदं बहु मतं नयनाभिरामम् ।

पौंस्‍नं वपुर्दर्शयानमनन्यसिद्धै-

रौत्पत्तिकै: समगृणन् युतमष्टभोगै: ॥ ४५ ॥

puṁsāṁ gatiṁ mṛgayatām iha yoga-mārgair

dhyānāspadaṁ bahu-mataṁ nayanābhirāmam

pauṁsnaṁ vapur darśayānam ananya-siddhair

autpattikaiḥ samagṛṇan yutam aṣṭa-bhogaiḥ

Translation

This is the form of the Lord which is meditated upon by the followers of the yoga process, and it is pleasing to the yogīs in meditation. It is not imaginary but factual, as proved by great yogīs. The Lord is full in eight kinds of achievement, but for others these achievements are not possible in full perfection.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Real Yoga Fixes the Mind on Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The four-handed form of Nārāyaṇa is the factual, not imaginary, object of meditation approved by great yogīs. The Lord possesses all eight yogic perfections in full.

  2. 2

    Real yoga requires sense control, beginning with control of the tongue, and concentration on the Lord within the heart. As Paramātmā, He is present in everyone’s heart, while the individual soul is present only in a particular body.

  3. 3

    Nārāyaṇa is an expansion of Kṛṣṇa, the original Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛṣṇa consciousness—keeping the mind concentrated on Kṛṣṇa—is the highest yoga practice of devotional yogīs.

Key points from the purport
  • This Nārāyaṇa form is Kṛṣṇa’s expansion; therefore the Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement which is now spreading is the real, topmost process of yoga practice.
  • Real yoga is to fix the mind on the form of the Lord, the four-handed Nārāyaṇa who is sitting in everyone’s heart.
  • Yoga necessitates controlling the senses, and bhakti-yoga, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness, is the process of purifying the senses.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 3.15.45 quotesBG 9.34

It is the process enjoined in Bhagavad-gītā (9.34): man-manā bhava mad-bhakto mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. puṁsāmof those persons
  2. gatimliberation
  3. mṛgayatāmwho are searching
  4. ihahere in this world
  5. yoga-mārgaiḥby the process of aṣṭāṅga-yoga
  6. dhyāna-āspadamobject of meditation
  7. bahuby the great yogis
  8. matamapproved
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 3.15

    In this verse: “devotional”

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

How could controlling my tongue help me keep my mind on Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside one quiet minute today to concentrate on the four-handed Nārāyaṇa form of the Lord within your heart.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReal Yoga Fixes the Mind on KṛṣṇaThis 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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