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

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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 23: Devahūti’s Lamentation
3.23.173.23.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.23.18

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.23.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

द्वा:सु विद्रुमदेहल्या भातं वज्रकपाटवत् ।

शिखरेष्विन्द्रनीलेषु हेमकुम्भैरधिश्रितम् ॥ १८ ॥

dvāḥsu vidruma-dehalyā

bhātaṁ vajra-kapāṭavat

śikhareṣv indranīleṣu

hema-kumbhair adhiśritam

Translation

The palace was very beautiful, with its coral thresholds at the entrances and its doors bedecked with diamonds. Gold pinnacles crowned its domes of sapphire.

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.

Precious Materials Adorn Every Entrance

  1. 1

    Coral thresholds made the palace entrances beautiful.

  2. 2

    Diamonds adorned its doors.

  3. 3

    Its sapphire domes were crowned with gold pinnacles, adding to the palace’s splendor.

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 23: Devahūti’s Lamentation

Devahūti serves Kardama, shares his extraordinary household life, and asks who will comfort her after his departure.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dvāḥsuin the entrances
  2. vidrumaof coral
  3. dehalyāwith a threshold
  4. bhātambeautiful
  5. vajrabedecked with diamonds
  6. kapāṭa-vathaving doors
  7. śikhareṣuon the domes
  8. indra-nīleṣuof sapphires
  9. hema-kumbhaiḥwith gold pinnacles
  10. adhiśritamcrowned
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

What do these carefully named materials help me notice about the palace’s beauty?

Practice

Picture the coral thresholds, diamond-decorated doors and gold-crowned sapphire domes while rereading the verse.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPrecious Materials Adorn Every EntranceThis 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 3.23.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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