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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
3.20.13.20.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 3.20.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

क्षत्ता महाभागवत: कृष्णस्यैकान्तिक: सुहृत् ।

यस्तत्याजाग्रजं कृष्णे सापत्यमघवानिति ॥ २ ॥

kṣattā mahā-bhāgavataḥ

kṛṣṇasyaikāntikaḥ suhṛt

yas tatyājāgrajaṁ kṛṣṇe

sāpatyam aghavān iti

Translation

Śaunaka Ṛṣi inquired about Vidura, who was a great devotee and friend of Lord Kṛṣṇa and who gave up the company of his elder brother because the latter, along with his sons, played tricks against the desires of the Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor Kṛṣṇa Above Personal Comfort

  1. 1

    Vidura was both an intimate friend and a great devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa. He left his elder brother’s protection when the family refused Kṛṣṇa’s counsel.

  2. 2

    Vidura showed that a place where Kṛṣṇa is not honored is unfit for human habitation.

  3. 3

    A devotee may tolerate difficulties concerning his own interests, but should not tolerate misbehavior toward the Lord or His devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • The incident referred to here is that Vidura left the protection of his elder brother Dhṛtarāṣṭra, went traveling everywhere to sacred places and met Maitreya at Hardwar.
  • Śaunaka Ṛṣi here inquires about the topics of the conversation between Maitreya Ṛṣi and Vidura.
  • When Kṛṣṇa tried to stop the war and mitigate the misunderstanding between the cousin-brothers, they refused to accept His counsel; therefore Kṣattā, or Vidura, was unsatisfied with them, and he left the palace.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṣattāVidura
  2. mahā-bhāgavataḥa great devotee of the Lord
  3. kṛṣṇasyaof Lord Kṛṣṇa
  4. ekāntikaḥunalloyed devotee
  5. suhṛtintimate friend
  6. yaḥhe who
  7. tatyājaabandoned
  8. agra-jamhis elder brother (King Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “gave up”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “friend”

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 I honor Kṛṣṇa and His devotees without making my own comfort the priority?

Practice

If a conversation today becomes disrespectful toward the Lord or His devotees, calmly decline to participate.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.20's connections

Live this todayHonor Kṛṣṇa Above Personal ComfortThis 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 3.20.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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