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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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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
3.20.53.20.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.6

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

ता न: कीर्तय भद्रं ते कीर्तन्योदारकर्मण: ।

रसज्ञ: को नु तृप्येत हरिलीलामृतं पिबन् ॥ ६ ॥

tā naḥ kīrtaya bhadraṁ te

kīrtanyodāra-karmaṇaḥ

rasajñaḥ ko nu tṛpyeta

hari-līlāmṛtaṁ piban

Translation

O Sūta Gosvāmī, all good fortune to you! Please narrate the activities of the Lord, which are all magnanimous and worth glorifying. What sort of devotee can be satiated by hearing the nectarean pastimes of the Lord?

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear the Lord’s Pastimes Again and Again

  1. 1

    The Lord’s activities are magnanimous and worthy of glorification. Devotees should receive their narration with full respect.

  2. 2

    Those established on the spiritual platform never tire of hearing the nectarean pastimes of the Lord.

  3. 3

    A devotee may read Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam thousands of times and still relish new aspects of their teachings.

Key points from the purport
  • The narration of the pastimes of the Lord, which are always enacted on the transcendental platform, should be received with all respect by devotees.
  • Those who are actually on the transcendental platform are never satiated by hearing the continuous narration of the pastimes of the Lord.
  • The narrations of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam may be read thousands and thousands of times, and still, without fail, new aspects of the subject matter will be relished by the devotee.

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. tāḥthose talks
  2. naḥto us
  3. kīrtayanarrate
  4. bhadram temay all good come unto you
  5. kīrtanyashould be chanted
  6. udāraliberal
  7. karmaṇaḥactivities
  8. rasa-jñaḥa devotee who can appreciate mellow tastes
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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”, “glorifying”, “glorification”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotees”

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

Do I approach familiar spiritual teachings with respect and openness to fresh understanding?

Practice

Reread a familiar passage from Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and note one aspect you appreciate today.

Live this todayHear the Lord’s Pastimes Again and AgainThis 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 3.20.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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