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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
3.20.43.20.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.5

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 3.20.5inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तयो: संवदतो: सूत प्रवृत्ता ह्यमला: कथा: ।

आपो गाङ्गा इवाघघ्नीर्हरे: पादाम्बुजाश्रया: ॥ ५ ॥

tayoḥ saṁvadatoḥ sūta

pravṛttā hy amalāḥ kathāḥ

āpo gāṅgā ivāgha-ghnīr

hareḥ pādāmbujāśrayāḥ

Translation

Śaunaka inquired about the conversation between Vidura and Maitreya: There must have been many narrations of the spotless pastimes of the Lord. The hearing of such narrations is exactly like bathing in the water of the Ganges, for it can free one from all sinful reactions.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing About the Lord Purifies

  1. 1

    Hearing the Lord’s spotless pastimes can free one from sinful reactions, just as bathing in the Ganges does.

  2. 2

    The Ganges comes from the Lord’s lotus feet, and Bhagavad-gītā comes from His mouth. Because the Lord is absolute, His words and pastimes are on the spiritual platform.

  3. 3

    Anything related to Kṛṣṇa is transcendental. By connecting all our activities with Kṛṣṇa, we can remain on the spiritual rather than the material platform.

Key points from the purport
  • The water of the Ganges is purified because it pours forth from the lotus feet of the Lord.
  • Similarly, Bhagavad-gītā is as good as the water of the Ganges because it is spoken from the mouth of the Supreme Lord.
  • The water of the Ganges, the narrations of His pastimes and the words spoken by Him are all on the absolute platform, and thus taking shelter of any one of them is equally good.

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. tayoḥwhile the two (Maitreya and Vidura)
  2. saṁvadatoḥwere conversing
  3. sūtaO Sūta
  4. pravṛttāḥarose
  5. hicertainly
  6. amalāḥspotless
  7. kathāḥnarrations
  8. āpaḥwaters
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Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “hearing”, “narrations”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.20

    In this verse: “inquired”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which of my daily activities could I more consciously connect with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend five minutes hearing or reading Bhagavad-gītā as a way of taking shelter of the Lord’s words.

Live this todayHearing About the Lord PurifiesThis 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 3.20.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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