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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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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
3.15.83.15.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.15.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 3.15.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

स त्वं विधत्स्व शं भूमंस्तमसा लुप्तकर्मणाम् ।

अदभ्रदयया द‍ृष्टय‍ा आपन्नानर्हसीक्षितुम् ॥ ९ ॥

sa tvaṁ vidhatsva śaṁ bhūmaṁs

tamasā lupta-karmaṇām

adabhra-dayayā dṛṣṭyā

āpannān arhasīkṣitum

Translation

The demigods prayed to Brahmā: Please look upon us mercifully, for we have fallen into a miserable condition; because of the darkness, all our work has been suspended.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ask for Mercy Amid Distress

  1. 1

    The demigods appealed to Brahmā to look upon them mercifully. They acknowledged that they had fallen into a miserable condition.

  2. 2

    Complete darkness had suspended the regular activities of the different planets. The demigods could no longer carry on their work.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that without sunlight reaching the planets, there is no distinction between day and night. It compares this with periods without ordinary day-and-night divisions at the North and South Poles.

Key points from the purport
  • Because of complete darkness throughout the universe, the regular activities and engagements of all the different planets were suspended.
  • In the North and South Poles of this planet there are sometimes no divisions of day and night; similarly, when the sunlight does not approach the different planets within the universe, there is no distinction between day and night.

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. saḥhe
  2. tvamyou
  3. vidhatsvaperform
  4. śamgood fortune
  5. bhūmanO great lord
  6. tamasāby the darkness
  7. luptahave been suspended
  8. karmaṇāmof prescribed duties
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.15

    In this verse: “mercifully”

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 my work is interrupted, can I acknowledge my difficulty and ask humbly for help?

Practice

For one task you cannot carry out today, explain the difficulty calmly and ask for help.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk for Mercy Amid DistressThis 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 3.15.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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