1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.46

Who is speaking and story frame

कुमारा ऊचु:

योऽन्तर्हितो हृदि गतोऽपि दुरात्मनां त्वं

सोऽद्यैव नो नयनमूलमनन्त राद्ध: ।

यर्ह्येव कर्णविवरेण गुहां गतो न:

पित्रानुवर्णितरहा भवदुद्भवेन ॥ ४६ ॥

kumārā ūcuḥ

yo ’ntarhito hṛdi gato ’pi durātmanāṁ tvaṁ

so ’dyaiva no nayana-mūlam ananta rāddhaḥ

yarhy eva karṇa-vivareṇa guhāṁ gato naḥ

pitrānuvarṇita-rahā bhavad-udbhavena

Translation

The Kumāras said: Our dear Lord, You are not manifested to rascals, even though You are seated within the heart of everyone. But as far as we are concerned, we see You face to face, although You are unlimited. The statements we have heard about You from our father, Brahmā, through the ears have now been actually realized by Your kind appearance.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sincere Devotion Opens the Way to Seeing

  1. 1

    Although the Lord is seated within everyone’s heart, meditation on the impersonal or void does not reveal His personal form. One should not remain satisfied with the impersonal Brahman effulgence.

  2. 2

    The Lord cannot be experienced through our imperfect senses alone. When one engages in devotional service with faith and devotion, He reveals Himself.

  3. 3

    The Kumāras heard about the Lord’s personal feature from their father, Brahmā, through disciplic succession. Because they sincerely searched for the Lord, His kind appearance fulfilled what they had heard and fully satisfied them.

Key points from the purport
  • Although they had heard from their father, Brahmā, about the personal feature of the Lord, only the impersonal feature, Brahman, was revealed to them.
  • Here they express their gratitude because although they were foolish impersonalists in the beginning, by the grace of the Lord they could now have the good fortune to see His personal feature.
  • Because the Kumāras were sons of Brahmā, they had the opportunity to learn Vedic knowledge from the disciplic succession of Brahmā, and therefore, in spite of their impersonalist beginnings, they became, in the end, direct seers of the personal feature of the Lord.

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. kumārāḥ ūcuḥthe Kumāras said
  2. yaḥHe who
  3. antarhitaḥnot manifested
  4. hṛdiin the heart
  5. gataḥis seated
  6. apieven though
  7. durātmanāmto the rascals
  8. tvamYou
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “heard”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “father”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

Am I hearing about the Lord with a sincere desire to know and serve Him?

Practice

Read the Kumāras’ words aloud today, then offer a brief prayer for sincere faith and devotion.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySincere Devotion Opens the Way to SeeingThis 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 3.15.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.