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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
3.20.503.20.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.51

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
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

अहो एतज्जगत्स्रष्ट: सुकृतं बत ते कृतम् ।

प्रतिष्ठिता: क्रिया यस्मिन् साकमन्नमदामहे ॥ ५१ ॥

aho etaj jagat-sraṣṭaḥ

sukṛtaṁ bata te kṛtam

pratiṣṭhitāḥ kriyā yasmin

sākam annam adāma he

Translation

They prayed: O creator of the universe, we are glad; what you have produced is well done. Since ritualistic acts have now been established soundly in this human form, we shall all share the sacrificial oblations.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sacrifice Is Meant to Please the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Brahmā established sacrificial rites so that living entities could gradually rise to self-realization while also enjoying material happiness.

  2. 2

    Conditioned souls are inclined to lord it over material nature. Sacrificial rituals are meant to gradually revive their spiritual realization.

  3. 3

    The purpose of sacrifice is to please Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Without pleasing Him, one cannot be happy in either material enjoyment or spiritual realization.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord confirms there that in the beginning of creation Brahmā created the Manus, along with the ritualistic sacrificial method, and blessed them: “Continue these sacrificial rites, and you will be gradually elevated to your proper position of self-realization and will also enjoy material happiness.”
  • The purpose of sacrificial rituals is to revive, gradually, the spiritual realization of the living entities.
  • Unless one pleases the Supreme Lord, or unless one is Kṛṣṇa conscious, one cannot be happy either in material enjoyment or in spiritual realization.

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. ahooh
  2. etatthis
  3. jagat-sraṣṭaḥO creator of the universe
  4. sukṛtamwell done
  5. bataindeed
  6. teby you
  7. kṛtamproduced
  8. pratiṣṭhitāḥestablished soundly
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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

Am I seeking only personal enjoyment, or am I trying to please the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Before one activity today, pause and make pleasing Kṛṣṇa your intention.

Live this todaySacrifice Is Meant to Please 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.

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