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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 17: Victory of Hiraṇyākṣa Over All the Directions of the Universe
3.17.93.17.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.17.10

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.17.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सङ्गीतवद्रोदनवदुन्नमय्य शिरोधराम् ।

व्यमुञ्चन् विविधा वाचो ग्रामसिंहास्ततस्तत: ॥ १० ॥

saṅgītavad rodanavad

unnamayya śirodharām

vyamuñcan vividhā vāco

grāma-siṁhās tatas tataḥ

Translation

Raising their necks, dogs cried here and there, now in the manner of singing and now of wailing.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Dogs Cry Like Singing and Wailing

  1. 1

    Dogs raised their necks as they cried.

  2. 2

    Their cries were heard here and there.

  3. 3

    At times the cries resembled singing, and at other times they resembled wailing.

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 17: Victory of Hiraṇyākṣa Over All the Directions of the Universe

Terrible omens accompany the demons’ appearance, and Hiraṇyākṣa spreads fear through his strength and pride.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṅgīta-vatlike singing
  2. rodana-vatlike wailing
  3. unnamayyaraising
  4. śirodharāmthe neck
  5. vyamuñcanuttered
  6. vividhāḥvarious
  7. vācaḥcries
  8. grāma-siṁhāḥthe dogs
  9. tataḥ tataḥhere and there
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 3.17

    In this verse: “cried”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.17

    In this verse: “heard”

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 impression do the changing sounds of the dogs leave on me?

Practice

Read the translation aloud once, noticing the contrast between singing and wailing.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDogs Cry Like Singing and WailingThis 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 3.17.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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