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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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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
3.20.363.20.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.37

Ūti· What drives us to act
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

इति सायन्तनीं सन्ध्यामसुरा: प्रमदायतीम् ।

प्रलोभयन्तीं जगृहुर्मत्वा मूढधिय: स्त्रियम् ॥ ३७ ॥

iti sāyantanīṁ sandhyām

asurāḥ pramadāyatīm

pralobhayantīṁ jagṛhur

matvā mūḍha-dhiyaḥ striyam

Translation

The asuras, clouded in their understanding, took the evening twilight to be a beautiful woman showing herself in her alluring form, and they seized her.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ignorance Mistakes Appearance for Reality

  1. 1

    The asuras took the evening twilight to be an alluring woman. Their understanding was clouded.

  2. 2

    The purport explains mūḍha-dhiyaḥ as being captivated by ignorance. Their fascination with material beauty prevented clear understanding.

  3. 3

    Captivated by the false, glaring beauty of the form, they seized and embraced her. Their mistaken perception led directly to action.

Key points from the purport
  • The asuras are described here as mūḍha-dhiyaḥ, meaning that they are captivated by ignorance, just like the ass.
  • The demons were captivated by the false, glaring beauty of this material form, and thus they embraced her.

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. itiin this way
  2. sāyantanīmthe evening
  3. sandhyāmtwilight
  4. asurāḥthe demons
  5. pramadāyatīmbehaving like a wanton woman
  6. pralobhayantīmalluring
  7. jagṛhuḥseized
  8. matvāthinking to be
  9. mūḍha-dhiyaḥunintelligent
  10. striyama woman
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “understanding”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “material”

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

Have I ever acted on an attractive appearance without understanding what I was pursuing?

Practice

Before acting on one strong attraction today, pause and ask what you actually know about it.

Live this todayIgnorance Mistakes Appearance for RealityThis 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 3.20.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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