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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
3.20.163.20.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.17

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.20.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

सोऽनुविष्टो भगवता य: शेते सलिलाशये ।

लोकसंस्थां यथापूर्वं निर्ममे संस्थया स्वया ॥ १७ ॥

so ’nuviṣṭo bhagavatā

yaḥ śete salilāśaye

loka-saṁsthāṁ yathā pūrvaṁ

nirmame saṁsthayā svayā

Translation

When that Supreme Personality of Godhead who is lying on the Garbhodaka Ocean entered the heart of Brahmā, Brahmā brought his intelligence to bear, and with the intelligence invoked he began to create the universe as it was before.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creative Intelligence Comes by the Lord’s Grace

  1. 1

    The Lord entered Brahmā’s heart and gave him the intelligence to create the universe as before. Its names and forms followed the previous cosmic manifestation.

  2. 2

    As Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Lord is seated in every living entity’s heart. He gives remembrance and intelligence according to the soul’s desires, capacity and karma.

  3. 3

    Every living entity’s creative power comes by the Lord’s grace, not independently. Even wonderful inventions cannot overcome the stringent laws of material nature or the Lord’s supremacy.

Key points from the purport
  • Then again, as Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu, the Lord enters into the heart of every living entity, including Brahmā.
  • Brahmā was the first living entity, and he was empowered by the Supreme Lord to act in charge of the mode of passion; therefore, he was given the required intelligence, which is so powerful and extensive that he is almost independent of the control of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The Lord, as the Supersoul within Brahmā, gave him the intelligence to create.

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

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥLord Brahmā
  2. anuviṣṭaḥwas entered
  3. bhagavatāby the Lord
  4. yaḥwho
  5. śetesleeps
  6. salila-āśayeon the Garbhodaka Ocean
  7. loka-saṁsthāmthe universe
  8. yathā pūrvamas previously
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “grace”

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

Do I see my abilities as entirely my own, or as gifts dependent on the Lord’s grace?

Practice

Before one task today, offer a brief prayer of gratitude to the Lord for the intelligence to carry it out.

Live this todayCreative Intelligence Comes by the Lord’s GraceThis 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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