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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 16: The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages
3.16.263.16.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.16.27

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.16.27inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Brahmā → the demigods

ब्रह्मोवाच

अथ ते मुनयो दृष्ट्वा नयनानन्दभाजनम् ।

वैकुण्ठं तदधिष्ठानं विकुण्ठं च स्वयंप्रभम् ॥ २७ ॥

brahmovāca

atha te munayo dṛṣṭvā

nayanānanda-bhājanam

vaikuṇṭhaṁ tad-adhiṣṭhānaṁ

vikuṇṭhaṁ ca svayaṁ-prabham

Translation

Lord Brahmā said: After seeing the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, in the self-illuminated Vaikuṇṭha planet, the sages left that transcendental abode.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Vaikuṇṭha Is Complete and Self-Illuminated

  1. 1

    After seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead in Vaikuṇṭha, the sages departed from that transcendental abode.

  2. 2

    The spiritual planets need no sun, moon or electricity. They are self-illuminated, self-sufficient and complete.

  3. 3

    Lord Kṛṣṇa says that one who reaches Vaikuṇṭha never returns to the material world. Jaya and Vijaya were a different case: they came here temporarily and then returned.

Key points from the purport
  • The transcendental abode of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, as stated in Bhagavad-gītā and confirmed in this verse, is self-illuminated.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa says that once one goes to that Vaikuṇṭha planet, he never returns.
  • They came to the material world for some time, and then they returned to Vaikuṇṭha.

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 16: The Two Doorkeepers of Vaikuṇṭha, Jaya and Vijaya, Cursed by the Sages

The Lord honors the sages and assures His fallen doorkeepers that they will soon return.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. brahmā uvācaLord Brahmā said
  2. athanow
  3. tethose
  4. munayaḥsages
  5. dṛṣṭvāafter seeing
  6. nayanaof the eyes
  7. ānandapleasure
  8. bhājanamproducing
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 3.16

    In this verse: “material”

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

What does Vaikuṇṭha’s completeness help me appreciate about the Lord’s abode?

Practice

Read the translation slowly and spend a quiet moment reflecting on the Lord’s self-illuminated abode.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVaikuṇṭha Is Complete and Self-IlluminatedThis 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 3.16.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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