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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
3.20.433.20.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.44

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

सिद्धान् विद्याधरांश्चैव तिरोधानेन सोऽसृजत् ।

तेभ्योऽददात्तमात्मानमन्तर्धानाख्यमद्भुतम् ॥ ४४ ॥

siddhān vidyādharāṁś caiva

tirodhānena so ’sṛjat

tebhyo ’dadāt tam ātmānam

antardhānākhyam adbhutam

Translation

Then Lord Brahmā, by his ability to be hidden from vision, created the Siddhas and Vidyādharas and gave them that wonderful form of his known as the Antardhāna.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Present Yet Hidden from Sight

  1. 1

    Brahmā created the Siddhas and Vidyādharas through his ability to remain hidden from vision.

  2. 2

    He gave them his wonderful form known as Antardhāna.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that Antardhāna means their presence can be perceived, although they cannot be seen.

Key points from the purport
  • Antardhāna means that these living creatures can be perceived to be present, but they cannot be seen by vision.

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. siddhānthe Siddhas
  2. vidyādharānVidyādharas
  3. ca evaand also
  4. tirodhānenaby the faculty of remaining hidden from vision
  5. saḥLord Brahmā
  6. asṛjatcreated
  7. tebhyaḥto them
  8. adadātgave
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

What distinction does the purport make between perceiving presence and seeing?

Practice

Write the meaning of Antardhāna in your own words, then compare it with the purport.

Live this todayPresent Yet Hidden from SightThis 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 3.20.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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