1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
3.20.513.20.53

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.52

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

तपसा विद्यया युक्तो योगेन सुसमाधिना ।

ऋषीनृषिर्हृषीकेश: ससर्जाभिमता: प्रजा: ॥ ५२ ॥

tapasā vidyayā yukto

yogena susamādhinā

ṛṣīn ṛṣir hṛṣīkeśaḥ

sasarjābhimatāḥ prajāḥ

Translation

Having equipped himself with austere penance, adoration, mental concentration and absorption in devotion, accompanied by dispassion, and having controlled his senses, Brahmā, the self-born living creature, evolved great sages as his beloved sons.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Worship Is Essential for Spiritual Knowledge

  1. 1

    Ritualistic sacrifices support material economic development, keeping the body in good condition for cultivating spiritual knowledge. Actual spiritual knowledge requires further qualifications.

  2. 2

    What is essential is vidyā, or worship of the Supreme Lord. Bodily postures are not the end of yoga; they help concentrate the mind upon the Supersoul.

  3. 3

    Through penance, worship, concentration in devotion, dispassion and sense control, Brahmā created great sages as his beloved sons. They would set the example for spiritual realization.

Key points from the purport
  • The ritualistic performances of sacrifice are meant for material economic development; in other words, they are meant to keep the body in good condition for cultivation of spiritual knowledge.
  • Sometimes the word yoga is used to refer to the gymnastic performances of different bodily postures which help mental concentration.
  • After creating persons for economic development, Brahmā created sages who would set the example for 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tapasāby penance
  2. vidyayāby worship
  3. yuktaḥbeing engaged
  4. yogenaby concentration of the mind in devotion
  5. su-samādhināby nice meditation
  6. ṛṣīnthe sages
  7. ṛṣiḥthe first seer (Brahmā)
  8. hṛṣīkeśaḥthe controller of his senses
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: “devotion”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 worship, rather than bodily comfort alone, central to my spiritual practice?

Practice

Set aside two quiet minutes today to worship the Supreme Lord with focused attention.

Live this todayWorship Is Essential for Spiritual KnowledgeThis 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 3.20.52? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories