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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
3.2.173.2.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.2.18

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

को वा अमुष्याङ्‌घ्रि सरोजरेणुं

विस्मर्तुमीशीत पुमान् विजिघ्रन् ।

यो विस्फुरद्भ्रूविटपेन भूमे-

र्भारं कृतान्तेन तिरश्चकार ॥ १८ ॥

ko vā amuṣyāṅghri-saroja-reṇuṁ

vismartum īśīta pumān vijighran

yo visphurad-bhrū-viṭapena bhūmer

bhāraṁ kṛtāntena tiraścakāra

Translation

Who, after smelling the dust of His lotus feet even once, could ever forget it? Simply by expanding the leaves of His eyebrows, Kṛṣṇa has given the deathblow to those who were burdening the earth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Is Never an Ordinary Human

  1. 1

    Although Kṛṣṇa played the role of an obedient son, He cannot be accepted as an ordinary human being.

  2. 2

    His actions were extraordinary: simply by raising His eyebrows, He could give deathblows to those burdening the earth.

  3. 3

    The translation expresses how unforgettable the dust of His lotus feet is. One who has smelled it even once cannot forget it.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa cannot be accepted as one of the human beings, even though He played the role of an obedient son.
  • His actions were so extraordinary that by the simple raising of His eyebrows He could deliver deathblows to those who were burdening the earth.

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

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. kaḥwho else
  2. vāeither
  3. amuṣyathe Lord’s
  4. aṅghrifeet
  5. saroja-reṇumdust of the lotus
  6. vismartumto forget
  7. īśītamay be able
  8. pumānperson
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “deathblow”, “deathblows”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I consider Kṛṣṇa’s humanlike behavior, do I also remember His extraordinary supremacy?

Practice

Read the translation once more and spend a quiet minute remembering Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Never an Ordinary HumanThis 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 3.2.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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