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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 2: Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa
3.2.123.2.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.2.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 3.2.7inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitUddhava → Vidura

यद्धर्मसूनोर्बत राजसूये

निरीक्ष्य द‍ृक्स्वस्त्ययनं त्रिलोक: ।

कार्त्स्‍न्येन चाद्येह गतं विधातु-

रर्वाक्सृतौ कौशलमित्यमन्यत ॥ १३ ॥

yad dharma-sūnor bata rājasūye

nirīkṣya dṛk-svastyayanaṁ tri-lokaḥ

kārtsnyena cādyeha gataṁ vidhātur

arvāk-sṛtau kauśalam ity amanyata

Translation

All the demigods from the upper, lower and middle universal planetary systems assembled at the altar of the rājasūya sacrifice performed by Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira. After seeing the beautiful bodily features of Lord Kṛṣṇa, they all contemplated that He was the ultimate dexterous creation of Brahmā, the creator of human beings.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Beauty Has No Creator

  1. 1

    At Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira’s rājasūya sacrifice, the assembled demigods marveled at Kṛṣṇa’s bodily beauty. Even the blue lotus and full moon could not compare with Him.

  2. 2

    The demigods thought that Brahmā had created Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful form. In fact, Brahmā himself was created by Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    It is beyond Brahmā’s power to create the transcendental beauty of the Supreme Lord. No one creates Kṛṣṇa; He is the creator of everyone.

Key points from the purport
  • The most beautiful object in the material world may be compared to the blue lotus flower or the full moon in the sky, but even the lotus flower and the moon were defeated by the beauty of the bodily features of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and this was certified by the demigods, the most beautiful living creatures in the universe.
  • The demigods thought that Lord Kṛṣṇa, like themselves, was also created by Lord Brahmā, but in fact Brahmā was created by Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • No one is the creator of Kṛṣṇa; rather, He is the creator of everyone.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 3.2.13 quotesBG 10.8

As He says in Bhagavad-gītā (10.8), ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Separation → Devotional remembrance. Uddhava's tears and silence make remembrance emotionally immediate.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 3: Vidura meets Uddhava and hears of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Remembrance of Lord Kṛṣṇa

Uddhava remembers Kṛṣṇa in devotional ecstasy and recounts His disappearance, supremacy, and childhood activities.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatthe form which
  2. dharma-sūnoḥof Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira
  3. batacertainly
  4. rājasūyein the arena of the rājasūya sacrifice
  5. nirīkṣyaby observing
  6. dṛksight
  7. svastyayanampleasing
  8. tri-lokaḥthe three worlds
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa is everyone’s creator change the way I understand His beauty?

Practice

When you notice something beautiful today, pause and remember that Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental beauty is beyond comparison.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.2's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Beauty Has No CreatorThis 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 3.2.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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