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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 23: Devahūti’s Lamentation
3.23.253.23.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.23.26

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

सान्त:सरसि वेश्मस्था: शतानि दश कन्यका: ।

सर्वा: किशोरवयसो ददर्शोत्पलगन्धय: ॥ २६ ॥

sāntaḥ sarasi veśma-sthāḥ

śatāni daśa kanyakāḥ

sarvāḥ kiśora-vayaso

dadarśotpala-gandhayaḥ

Translation

In a house inside the lake she saw one thousand girls, all in the prime of youth and fragrant like lotuses.

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.

A Wondrous Sight Within the Lake

  1. 1

    Inside the lake, Devahūti saw a house.

  2. 2

    Within that house she saw one thousand girls.

  3. 3

    All the girls were in the prime of youth and fragrant like lotuses.

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. sāshe
  2. antaḥinside
  3. sarasiin the lake
  4. veśma-sthāḥsituated in a house
  5. śatāni daśaten hundred
  6. kanyakāḥgirls
  7. sarvāḥall
  8. kiśora-vayasaḥin the prime of youth
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

Which detail of the sight within the lake most catches your attention?

Practice

Pause over the verse and recall its three details: the house, the thousand girls, and their lotuslike fragrance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Wondrous Sight Within the LakeThis 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 3.23.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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