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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
3.20.63.20.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.20.7

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

एवमुग्रश्रवा: पृष्ट ऋषिभिर्नैमिषायनै: ।

भगवत्यर्पिताध्यात्मस्तानाह श्रूयतामिति ॥ ७ ॥

evam ugraśravāḥ pṛṣṭa

ṛṣibhir naimiṣāyanaiḥ

bhagavaty arpitādhyātmas

tān āha śrūyatām iti

Translation

On being asked to speak by the great sages of Naimiṣāraṇya, the son of Romaharṣaṇa, Sūta Gosvāmī, whose mind was absorbed in the transcendental pastimes of the Lord, said: Please hear what I shall now speak.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Speak and Hear With Spiritual Attention

  1. 1

    The great sages of Naimiṣāraṇya asked Sūta Gosvāmī to speak.

  2. 2

    Sūta Gosvāmī, the son of Romaharṣaṇa, had his mind absorbed in the Lord’s transcendental pastimes.

  3. 3

    He responded to the sages by inviting them to hear what he would now say.

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. evamthus
  2. ugraśravāḥSūta Gosvāmī
  3. pṛṣṭaḥbeing asked
  4. ṛṣibhiḥby the sages
  5. naimiṣa-ayanaiḥwho were assembled in the forest of Naimiṣa
  6. bhagavatiunto the Lord
  7. arpitadedicated
  8. adhyātmaḥhis mind
3

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

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 attentive is my mind when I hear about the Lord?

Practice

Put aside distractions for a few minutes while listening to a narration of the Lord’s pastimes.

Live this todaySpeak and Hear With Spiritual AttentionThis 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 3.20.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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