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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
3.20.393.20.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.40

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

सृष्ट्वा भूतपिशाचांश्च भगवानात्मतन्द्रिणा ।

दिग्वाससो मुक्तकेशान् वीक्ष्य चामीलयद् द‍ृशौ ॥ ४० ॥

sṛṣṭvā bhūta-piśācāṁś ca

bhagavān ātma-tandriṇā

dig-vāsaso mukta-keśān

vīkṣya cāmīlayad dṛśau

Translation

The glorious Brahmā next evolved from his sloth the ghosts and fiends, but he closed his eyes when he saw them stand naked with their hair scattered.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creation Remains Under the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Brahmā evolved ghosts and fiends from his sloth. Seeing them naked with scattered hair, he closed his eyes.

  2. 2

    The purport states that ghosts and mischievous hobgoblins are real creations of Brahmā, not false. They are meant to put the conditioned soul into various miseries.

  3. 3

    These beings are created by Brahmā under the direction of the Supreme Lord. Even this troubling part of creation remains under His direction.

Key points from the purport
  • Ghosts and mischievous hobgoblins are also the creation of Brahmā; they are not false.
  • All of them are meant for putting the conditioned soul into various miseries.
  • They are understood to be the creation of Brahmā under the direction of the Supreme Lord.

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. sṛṣṭvāhaving created
  2. bhūtaghosts
  3. piśācānfiends
  4. caand
  5. bhagavānLord Brahmā
  6. ātmahis
  7. tandriṇāfrom laziness
  8. dik-vāsasaḥnaked
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

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 does remembering the Supreme Lord's direction affect my response to troubling aspects of creation?

Practice

Write one sentence today recalling that Brahmā's creation takes place under the direction of the Supreme Lord.

Live this todayCreation Remains Under the Supreme LordThis 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 3.20.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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