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 17: Victory of Hiraṇyākṣa Over All the Directions of the Universe
3.17.103.17.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.17.11

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

खराश्च कर्कशै: क्षत्त: खुरैर्घ्नन्तो धरातलम् ।

खार्काररभसा मत्ता: पर्यधावन् वरूथश: ॥ ११ ॥

kharāś ca karkaśaiḥ kṣattaḥ

khurair ghnanto dharā-talam

khārkāra-rabhasā mattāḥ

paryadhāvan varūthaśaḥ

Translation

O Vidura, the asses ran hither and thither in herds, striking the earth with their hard hooves and wildly braying.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

So-Called Jollity Can Be Inauspicious

  1. 1

    The asses ran hither and thither in herds, striking the earth with their hard hooves and braying wildly.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that asses also feel very respectable as a race.

  3. 3

    Their running together in so-called jollity is described as a bad sign for human society.

Key points from the purport
  • Asses also feel very respectable as a race, and when they run in flocks hither and thither in so-called jollity, it is understood to be a bad sign for human society.

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 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. kharāḥasses
  2. caand
  3. karkaśaiḥhard
  4. kṣattaḥO Vidura
  5. khuraiḥwith their hooves
  6. ghnantaḥstriking
  7. dharā-talamthe surface of the earth
  8. khāḥ-kārabraying
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

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 sometimes mistake noisy excitement for something truly good?

Practice

Pause during one moment of excitement today and consider whether it is actually beneficial.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySo-Called Jollity Can Be InauspiciousThis 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 3.17.11? 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