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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.18.5

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वयि संस्थिते गदया शीर्णशीर्ष-

ण्यस्मद्भुजच्युतया ये च तुभ्यम् ।

बलिं हरन्त्यृषयो ये च देवा:

स्वयं सर्वे न भविष्यन्त्यमूला: ॥ ५ ॥

tvayi saṁsthite gadayā śīrṇa-śīrṣaṇy

asmad-bhuja-cyutayā ye ca tubhyam

baliṁ haranty ṛṣayo ye ca devāḥ

svayaṁ sarve na bhaviṣyanty amūlāḥ

Translation

The demon continued: When You fall dead with Your skull smashed by the mace hurled by my arms, the demigods and sages who offer You oblations and sacrifice in devotional service will also automatically cease to exist, like trees without roots.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Love Kṛṣṇa, the Root of Everything

  1. 1

    The scriptures recommend devotional service, including hearing and chanting God’s holy name, remembering Him, and worshiping His Deity form. These activities develop Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

  2. 2

    Demons envy God and His devotees and oppose such worship. They favor material advancement for satisfying the senses.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the root of everything and the source of all energy. Just as feeding the stomach nourishes the limbs, developing love of Kṛṣṇa satisfies the source of all happiness.

Key points from the purport
  • Demons are very much disturbed when devotees worship the Lord in the prescribed ways recommended in the scriptures.
  • The demon wants to uproot this source because if the root, God, were to be checked, the activities of the Lord and the devotees would automatically stop.
  • According to Śrīdhara Svāmī, this verse means that when the demon would be deprived of his mace by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, not only the neophyte devotees but also the ancient sagacious devotees of the Lord would be very much satisfied.

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 18: The Battle Between Lord Boar and the Demon Hiraṇyākṣa

Hiraṇyākṣa challenges Lord Varāha, who protects the earth and fights him as Brahmā prays for victory.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.18
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvayiwhen You
  2. saṁsthiteare killed
  3. gadayāby the mace
  4. śīrṇasmashed
  5. śīrṣaṇiskull
  6. asmat-bhujafrom my hand
  7. cyutayāreleased
  8. yethose who
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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 3.18

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”, “worshiping”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.18

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”, “holy name”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.18

    In this verse: “favor”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I give more attention to loving Kṛṣṇa rather than only satisfying my senses?

Practice

Chant once attentively: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLove Kṛṣṇa, the Root of EverythingThis 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 3.18.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.