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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
3.20.103.20.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.11

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

सद्वितीया: किमसृजन् स्वतन्त्रा उत कर्मसु ।

आहोस्वित्संहता: सर्व इदं स्म समकल्पयन् ॥ ११ ॥

sa-dvitīyāḥ kim asṛjan

svatantrā uta karmasu

āho svit saṁhatāḥ sarva

idaṁ sma samakalpayan

Translation

Did they evolve the creation in conjunction with their respective wives, did they remain independent in their action, or did they all jointly produce it?

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.

Asking How Creation Was Carried Out

  1. 1

    The question asks whether they carried out creation with their respective wives.

  2. 2

    It also asks whether they acted independently.

  3. 3

    A third possibility is that they all joined together to produce the creation. The verse asks about these possibilities without yet answering.

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. sa-dvitīyāḥwith their wives
  2. kimwhether
  3. asṛjancreated
  4. sva-tantrāḥremaining independent
  5. utaor
  6. karmasuin their actions
  7. āho svitor else
  8. saṁhatāḥjointly
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

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

How can carefully considering different possibilities help me ask clearer questions?

Practice

Write down one clear question you have about how creation was carried out.

Live this todayAsking How Creation Was Carried OutThis 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 3.20.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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