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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
3.20.423.20.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.43

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

त आत्मसर्गं तं कायं पितर: प्रतिपेदिरे ।

साध्येभ्यश्च पितृभ्यश्च कवयो यद्वितन्वते ॥ ४३ ॥

ta ātma-sargaṁ taṁ kāyaṁ

pitaraḥ pratipedire

sādhyebhyaś ca pitṛbhyaś ca

kavayo yad vitanvate

Translation

The Pitās themselves took possession of the invisible body, the source of their existence. It is through the medium of this invisible body that those well versed in the rituals offer oblations to the Sādhyas and Pitās [in the form of their departed ancestors] on the occasion of śrāddha.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serving Kṛṣṇa Benefits the Whole Family

  1. 1

    The Pitās accepted the invisible body that was their source. Through this body, those versed in rituals offer śrāddha oblations to departed ancestors.

  2. 2

    By the Lord’s grace, śrāddha offerings can help ancestors receive gross bodies for spiritual advancement. The purport warns against using such bodies merely for sense gratification.

  3. 3

    A devotee in Kṛṣṇa consciousness always pleases the Supreme Lord, so ancestors in difficulty are automatically relieved. Serving Kṛṣṇa in full Kṛṣṇa consciousness fulfills the purpose of all rituals and benefits all living entities.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus those fathers and ancestors who, by freaks of nature, might not have a gross body for material enjoyment can again gain such bodies due to the offering of śrāddha oblations by their descendants.
  • Because the Lord is thus pleased with the devotional service of the descendants, by His grace He liberates the condemned souls of forefathers who do not have gross bodies, and He favors them to again receive a gross body for development of spiritual advancement.
  • The devotee of the Lord, or one who is in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, however, does not need to perform such ritualistic ceremonies as śrāddha because he is always pleasing the Supreme Lord; therefore his fathers and ancestors who might have been in difficulty are automatically relieved.

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. tethey
  2. ātma-sargamsource of their existence
  3. tamthat
  4. kāyambody
  5. pitaraḥthe Pitās
  6. pratipedireaccepted
  7. sādhyebhyaḥto the Sādhyas
  8. caand
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “sense gratification”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “grace”

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 can I make pleasing Kṛṣṇa the center of my concern for my family?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, remembering its benefit to your family.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.20's connections

Live this todayServing Kṛṣṇa Benefits the Whole FamilyThis 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 3.20.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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