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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 20: Conversation Between Maitreya and Vidura
3.20.93.20.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.10

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.20.10inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ये मरीच्यादयो विप्रा यस्तु स्वायम्भुवो मनु: ।

ते वै ब्रह्मण आदेशात्कथमेतदभावयन् ॥ १० ॥

ye marīcy-ādayo viprā

yas tu svāyambhuvo manuḥ

te vai brahmaṇa ādeśāt

katham etad abhāvayan

Translation

Vidura inquired: How did the Prajāpatis [such progenitors of living entities as Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu] create according to the instruction of Brahmā, and how did they evolve this manifested universe?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Inquire How Creation Followed Brahmā’s Instructions

  1. 1

    Vidura asks about the work of the Prajāpatis, the progenitors of living entities.

  2. 2

    His inquiry includes Marīci and Svāyambhuva Manu and asks how they created according to Brahmā’s instruction.

  3. 3

    Vidura wants to understand how their work brought about the manifested universe.

How it feels

Longing and service → Preparedness. Family devotion turns toward higher spiritual fulfillment.

Chapters 20–24 of Canto 3: Kardama, Devahūti, family and renunciation. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 20: Conversation Between Maitreya and Vidura

Questions about Manu lead to further accounts of Brahmā’s creation of demigods, demons, and other beings.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.20
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yethose
  2. marīci-ādayaḥgreat sages headed by Marīci
  3. viprāḥbrāhmaṇas
  4. yaḥwho
  5. tuindeed
  6. svāyambhuvaḥ manuḥand Svāyambhuva Manu
  7. tethey
  8. vaiindeed
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “inquired”, “inquiry”, “understand”

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

Does my curiosity lead me to ask clear questions, as Vidura does here?

Practice

Write one clear question you would like to understand about how the Prajāpatis carried out Brahmā’s instructions.

Live this todayInquire How Creation Followed Brahmā’s InstructionsThis 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 3.20.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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