1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
3.20.183.20.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.19

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

विससर्जात्मन: कायं नाभिनन्दंस्तमोमयम् ।

जगृहुर्यक्षरक्षांसि रात्रिं क्षुत्तृट्‌समुद्भवाम् ॥ १९ ॥

visasarjātmanaḥ kāyaṁ

nābhinandaṁs tamomayam

jagṛhur yakṣa-rakṣāṁsi

rātriṁ kṣut-tṛṭ-samudbhavām

Translation

Out of disgust, Brahmā threw off the body of ignorance, and taking this opportunity, Yakṣas and Rākṣasas sprang for possession of the body, which continued to exist in the form of night. Night is the source of hunger and thirst.

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.

Brahmā Rejects the Body of Ignorance

  1. 1

    Brahmā was disgusted with the body of ignorance and threw it off.

  2. 2

    Yakṣas and Rākṣasas took the opportunity to possess that discarded body.

  3. 3

    The body continued to exist in the form of night. The verse describes night as the source of hunger and thirst.

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. visasarjathrew off
  2. ātmanaḥhis own
  3. kāyambody
  4. nanot
  5. abhinandanbeing pleased
  6. tamaḥ-mayammade of ignorance
  7. jagṛhuḥtook possession
  8. yakṣa-rakṣāṁsithe Yakṣas and Rākṣasas
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

What can I learn from Brahmā’s unwillingness to welcome ignorance?

Practice

Identify one point in this verse you do not understand and write it down for further study.

Live this todayBrahmā Rejects the Body of IgnoranceThis 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 3.20.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories