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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
3.16.33.16.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.16.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 3.16.2inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Brahmā → the demigods

तद्व: प्रसादयाम्यद्य ब्रह्म दैवं परं हि मे ।

तद्धीत्यात्मकृतं मन्ये यत्स्वपुम्भिरसत्कृता: ॥ ४ ॥

tad vaḥ prasādayāmy adya

brahma daivaṁ paraṁ hi me

tad dhīty ātma-kṛtaṁ manye

yat sva-pumbhir asat-kṛtāḥ

Translation

To Me, the brāhmaṇa is the highest and most beloved personality. The disrespect shown by My attendants has actually been displayed by Me because the doormen are My servitors. I take this to be an offense by Myself; therefore I seek your forgiveness for the incident that has arisen.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion, Not Birth, Defines True Qualification

  1. 1

    The Lord considers His servants’ disrespect an offense by Himself and asks forgiveness. He calls the brāhmaṇa His highest and most beloved personality.

  2. 2

    Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead and the worshipable Deity of qualified brāhmaṇas. Such brāhmaṇas look to His lotus feet.

  3. 3

    The praise here refers to the devotee-brāhmaṇa, or Vaiṣṇava, not merely someone born in a brāhmaṇa family. Birth without brahminical qualifications does not establish that position.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa, or Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is also the worshipable Deity of the brāhmaṇas.
  • A brāhmaṇa is one who has understood Brahman, and a Vaiṣṇava is one who has understood the Personality of Godhead.
  • Therefore one who becomes a Vaiṣṇava is already a brāhmaṇa.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tattherefore
  2. vaḥyou sages
  3. prasādayāmiI am seeking your forgiveness
  4. adyajust now
  5. brahmathe brāhmaṇas
  6. daivammost beloved personalities
  7. paramhighest
  8. hibecause
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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 3.16

    In this verse: “devotee-brāhmaṇa”, “worshipable”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 3.16

    In this verse: “offense”

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

Do I value devotion and genuine qualifications more than family background?

Practice

Notice and appreciate one devotional quality in someone without referring to their family or social position.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotion, Not Birth, Defines True QualificationThis 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 3.16.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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