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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
3.20.383.20.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.39

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

विससर्ज तनुं तां वैज्योत्‍स्‍नां कान्तिमतीं प्रियाम् ।

त एव चाददु: प्रीत्या विश्वावसुपुरोगमा: ॥ ३९ ॥

visasarja tanuṁ tāṁ vai

jyotsnāṁ kāntimatīṁ priyām

ta eva cādaduḥ prītyā

viśvāvasu-purogamāḥ

Translation

After that, Brahmā gave up that shining and beloved form of moonlight. Viśvāvasu and other Gandharvas gladly took possession of it.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahmā Gives Up the Moonlight Form

  1. 1

    Brahmā gave up his form of moonlight. The translation describes this form as shining and beloved.

  2. 2

    Viśvāvasu and the other Gandharvas took possession of that form.

  3. 3

    The Gandharvas received it gladly. Their joyful acceptance follows Brahmā's giving it up.

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. visasarjagave up
  2. tanumform
  3. tāmthat
  4. vaiin fact
  5. jyotsnāmmoonlight
  6. kānti-matīmshining
  7. priyāmbeloved
  8. tethe Gandharvas
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

What details help me remember the form Brahmā gave up and who received it?

Practice

Read the translation once more and recall its three details: moonlight, the Gandharvas, and their glad acceptance.

Live this todayBrahmā Gives Up the Moonlight FormThis 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 3.20.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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