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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
3.20.213.20.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.22

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

देवता: प्रभया या या दीव्यन् प्रमुखतोऽसृजत् ।

ते अहार्षुर्देवयन्तो विसृष्टां तां प्रभामह: ॥ २२ ॥

devatāḥ prabhayā yā yā

dīvyan pramukhato ’sṛjat

te ahārṣur devayanto

visṛṣṭāṁ tāṁ prabhām ahaḥ

Translation

He then created the chief demigods, who were shining with the glory of goodness. He dropped before them the effulgent form of daytime, and the demigods sportingly took possession of it.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Goodness Shines Like Daylight

  1. 1

    Brahmā created the chief demigods, who shone with the glory of goodness.

  2. 2

    He gave up the effulgent form of daytime, and the demigods sportingly accepted it.

  3. 3

    The purport contrasts their origins: demons arise from the quality of ignorance, while demigods arise from the quality of goodness.

Key points from the purport
  • Demons were born from the creation of night, and the demigods were born from the creation of day.
  • In other words, demons like the Yakṣas and Rākṣasas are born of the quality of ignorance, and demigods are born of the quality of goodness.

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. devatāḥthe demigods
  2. prabhayāwith the glory of light
  3. yāḥ yāḥthose who
  4. dīvyanshining
  5. pramukhataḥchiefly
  6. asṛjatcreated
  7. tethey
  8. ahārṣuḥtook possession of
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “gave up”

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 does this contrast between goodness and ignorance help me examine my behavior?

Practice

Notice one action today and reflect on whether it expresses goodness or ignorance.

Live this todayGoodness Shines Like DaylightThis 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 3.20.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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