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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
3.20.253.20.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.26

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.20.26inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

पाहि मां परमात्मंस्ते प्रेषणेनासृजं

प्रजा: ।

ता इमा यभितुं पापा उपाक्रामन्ति मां प्रभो ॥ २६ ॥

pāhi māṁ paramātmaṁs te

preṣaṇenāsṛjaṁ prajāḥ

tā imā yabhituṁ pāpā

upākrāmanti māṁ prabho

Translation

Lord Brahmā, approaching the Lord, addressed Him thus: My Lord, please protect me from these sinful demons, who were created by me under Your order. They are infuriated by an appetite for sex and have come to attack me.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ask the Lord for Protection

  1. 1

    Brahmā approached the Lord and directly asked Him for protection.

  2. 2

    He explained that he had created these beings under the Lord’s order, yet they were now approaching to attack him.

  3. 3

    The verse portrays the demons as driven by an inflamed sexual appetite. Brahmā brought this danger before the Lord in prayer.

Key points from the purport
  • It appears here that the homosexual appetite of males for each other is created in this episode of the creation of the demons by Brahmā.
  • In other words, the homosexual appetite of a man for another man is demoniac and is not for any sane male in the ordinary course of life.

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. pāhiprotect
  2. māmme
  3. parama-ātmanO Supreme Lord
  4. teYour
  5. preṣaṇenaby order
  6. asṛjamI created
  7. prajāḥliving beings
  8. tāḥ imāḥthose very persons
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “protect”, “protection”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “danger”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Can I speak honestly to the Lord about what frightens or troubles me?

Practice

Offer one short prayer naming a difficulty and asking the Lord for protection.

Live this todayAsk the Lord for ProtectionThis 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 3.20.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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