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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
3.2.153.2.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.2.16

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

मां खेदयत्येतदजस्य जन्म-

विडम्बनं यद्वसुदेवगेहे ।

व्रजे च वासोऽरिभयादिव स्वयं

पुराद् व्यवात्सीद्यदनन्तवीर्य: ॥ १६ ॥

māṁ khedayaty etad ajasya janma-

viḍambanaṁ yad vasudeva-gehe

vraje ca vāso ’ri-bhayād iva svayaṁ

purād vyavātsīd yad-ananta-vīryaḥ

Translation

When I think of Lord Kṛṣṇa — how He was born in the prison house of Vasudeva although He is unborn, how He went away from His father’s protection to Vraja and lived there incognito out of fear of the enemy, and how, although unlimitedly powerful, He fled from Mathurā in fear — all these bewildering incidents give me distress.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa’s Apparent Contradictions Reveal His Supreme Power

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the original person from whom everything and everyone comes. Nothing can equal or surpass Him.

  2. 2

    He plays His roles so perfectly that even pure devotees like Uddhava become bewildered. Like a father accepting defeat in play with his child, the Lord acts for pleasure without losing His power.

  3. 3

    Because He is all-powerful, the Lord can reconcile birth and no birth, power and defeat, fear and fearlessness. The contradictions disappear when we understand Him as the Lord, not as an imperfect person like ourselves.

Key points from the purport
  • Because Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original person from whom everything and everyone has emanated — ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ (Bg. 10.8), janmādy asya yataḥ (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2) — nothing can be equal to or greater than Him.
  • A pure devotee knows very well how it is possible for the Lord to adjust opposite things, but he laments for the nondevotees who, not knowing the supreme glories of the Lord, think of Him as imaginary simply because there are so many apparently contradictory statements in the scriptures.
  • Factually there is nothing contradictory; everything is possible when we understand the Lord as the Lord and not as one of us, with all our imperfection.

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 3.2.16 quotesBG 10.8

Because Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is the original person from whom everything and everyone has emanated — ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ, janmādy asya yataḥ (Vedānta-sūtra 1.1.2) — nothing can be equal to or greater than Him.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. māmto me
  2. khedayatigives me distress
  3. etatthis
  4. ajasyaof the unborn
  5. janmabirth
  6. viḍambanambewildering
  7. yatthat
  8. vasudeva-gehein the home of Vasudeva
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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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “father’s”, “father”, “child”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.2

    In this verse: “fear”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When Kṛṣṇa’s actions seem contradictory, am I judging Him by my own limitations?

Practice

Choose one apparent contradiction in the translation and reflect for a minute on how Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited power makes it possible.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Apparent Contradictions Reveal His Supreme PowerThis 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.

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