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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
3.20.283.20.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.29

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
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

तां क्‍वणच्चरणाम्भोजां मदविह्वललोचनाम् ।

काञ्चीकलापविलसद्दुकूलच्छन्नरोधसम् ॥ २९ ॥

tāṁ kvaṇac-caraṇāmbhojāṁ

mada-vihvala-locanām

kāñcī-kalāpa-vilasad-

dukūla-cchanna-rodhasam

Translation

The body given up by Brahmā took the form of the evening twilight, when the day and night meet, a time which kindles passion. The asuras, who are passionate by nature, dominated as they are by the element of rajas, took it for a damsel, whose lotus feet resounded with the tinkling of anklets, whose eyes were wide with intoxication and whose hips were covered by fine cloth, over which shone a girdle.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Passion Shapes What We Imagine

  1. 1

    The body Brahmā gave up became evening twilight, the meeting of day and night that kindles passion.

  2. 2

    Dominated by rajas, the passionate asuras took twilight to be a beautiful woman. Their desire for sexual satisfaction shaped what they imagined before them.

  3. 3

    The purport contrasts early morning as a time for spiritual cultivation with the beginning of evening as a time for passion.

Key points from the purport
  • Demoniac men are generally very fond of sex enjoyment; therefore they very much appreciate the approach of evening.
  • The demons took the approach of the evening twilight to be a beautiful woman, and they began to adore her in various ways.
  • They imagined the twilight to be a very beautiful woman with tinkling bangles on her feet, a girdle on her hips, and beautiful breasts, and for their sexual satisfaction they imagined the appearance of this beautiful girl before them.

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. tāmthat body
  2. kvaṇattinkling with ankle bells
  3. caraṇa-ambhojāmwith lotus feet
  4. madaintoxication
  5. vihvalaoverwhelmed
  6. locanāmwith eyes
  7. kāñcī-kalāpawith a girdle made of golden ornaments
  8. vilasatshining
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 do my desires influence what I notice or imagine?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to plan an early-morning period for spiritual cultivation.

Live this todayPassion Shapes What We ImagineThis 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 3.20.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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