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

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

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 ›
Canto 3 · Chapter 15: Description of the Kingdom of God
3.15.483.15.50

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.49

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Kumārassince 3.15.46inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Brahmā → the demigods

कामं भव: स्ववृजिनैर्निरयेषु न: स्ता-

च्चेतोऽलिवद्यदि नु ते पदयो रमेत ।

वाचश्च नस्तुलसिवद्यदि तेऽङ्‌घ्रि शोभा:

पूर्येत ते गुणगणैर्यदि कर्णरन्ध्र: ॥ ४९ ॥

kāmaṁ bhavaḥ sva-vṛjinair nirayeṣu naḥ stāc

ceto ’livad yadi nu te padayo rameta

vācaś ca nas tulasivad yadi te ’ṅghri-śobhāḥ

pūryeta te guṇa-gaṇair yadi karṇa-randhraḥ

Translation

O Lord, we pray that You let us be born in any hellish condition of life, just as long as our hearts and minds are always engaged in the service of Your lotus feet, our words are made beautiful [by speaking of Your activities] just as tulasī leaves are beautified when offered unto Your lotus feet, and as long as our ears are always filled with the chanting of Your transcendental qualities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Praying for Service in Every Condition

  1. 1

    The four sages recognized that they had done wrong by cursing the Lord’s devotees in anger. They humbly prayed that even in a hellish condition, their minds might remain engaged in serving Lord Nārāyaṇa’s lotus feet.

  2. 2

    Devotees are not afraid of any condition of life, provided they can constantly serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Their concern is not heaven or hell, but remembering and continuing the Lord’s service.

  3. 3

    Loving service is performed with the body, mind and words; words gain their true value when used to glorify the Lord. Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa gives us the opportunity to glorify and hear Him in any condition of life.

Key points from the purport
  • Those who are devotees of the Lord are not afraid of any condition of life, provided there is constant engagement in the service of the Lord.
  • They are not afraid of entering a hellish condition, for since they are engaged in the transcendental loving service of the Lord, heaven or hell is the same for them.
  • Therefore those who are engaged in the service of the Lord see no distinction between heaven and hell; it is only the materialists who prefer one to the other.

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 3.15.49 quotesSB 6.17.28

It is said of the nārāyaṇa-para, or those who are devotees of Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, na kutaścana bibhyati.

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. kāmamas much as deserved
  2. bhavaḥbirth
  3. sva-vṛjinaiḥby our own sinful activities
  4. nirayeṣuin low births
  5. naḥour
  6. stātlet it be
  7. cetaḥminds
  8. ali-vatlike bees
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “glorify”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “afraid”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotees”

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 circumstances are difficult, do I pray mainly for relief or also for the opportunity to keep serving the Lord?

Practice

Today, spend one minute chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and listening attentively, praying that your mind and words may remain engaged in the Lord’s service.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPraying for Service in Every ConditionThis 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 3.15.49? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories