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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
3.20.373.20.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.38

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

प्रहस्य भावगम्भीरं जिघ्रन्त्यात्मानमात्मना ।

कान्त्या ससर्ज भगवान् गन्धर्वाप्सरसां गणान् ॥ ३८ ॥

prahasya bhāva-gambhīraṁ

jighrantyātmānam ātmanā

kāntyā sasarja bhagavān

gandharvāpsarasāṁ gaṇān

Translation

With a laugh full of deep significance, the worshipful Brahmā then evolved by his own loveliness, which seemed to enjoy itself by itself, the hosts of Gandharvas and Apsarās.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Music and Dancing to Glorify

  1. 1

    With a laugh full of deep significance, Brahmā created the Gandharvas and Apsarās from his own loveliness.

  2. 2

    Gandharvas are musicians in the upper planetary systems, and Apsarās are dancing girls. The purport calls music and dancing used for sense gratification demoniac.

  3. 3

    The same music and dancing become transcendental when used in kīrtana to glorify the Supreme Lord. Such glorification makes life fit for spiritual enjoyment.

Key points from the purport
  • The musicians in the upper planetary systems are called Gandharvas, and the dancing girls are called Apsarās.
  • After being attacked by the demons and evolving a form of a beautiful woman in the twilight, Brahmā next created Gandharvas and Apsarās.
  • Music and dancing employed in sense gratification are to be accepted as demoniac, but the same music and dancing, when employed in glorifying the Supreme Lord as kīrtana, are transcendental, and they bring about a life completely fit for spiritual enjoyment.

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. prahasyasmiling
  2. bhāva-gambhīramwith a deep purpose
  3. jighrantyāunderstanding
  4. ātmānamhimself
  5. ātmanāby himself
  6. kāntyāby his loveliness
  7. sasarjacreated
  8. bhagavānthe worshipful Lord Brahmā
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worshipful”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “glorify”, “kīrtana”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “loveliness”

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 could music in my day become an opportunity to glorify the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today singing or listening attentively to kīrtana.

Live this todayUse Music and Dancing to GlorifyThis 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 3.20.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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