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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
3.23.423.23.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.23.43

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

प्रेक्षयित्वा भुवो गोलं पत्‍न्यै यावान् स्वसंस्थया ।

बह्वाश्चर्यं महायोगी स्वाश्रमाय न्यवर्तत ॥ ४३ ॥

prekṣayitvā bhuvo golaṁ

patnyai yāvān sva-saṁsthayā

bahv-āścaryaṁ mahā-yogī

svāśramāya nyavartata

Translation

After showing his wife the globe of the universe and its different arrangements, full of many wonders, the great yogī Kardama Muni returned to his own hermitage.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Even Perfect Yogīs Remain the Lord’s Servants

  1. 1

    The planets are described as round, each with its own wonderful features. By God’s grace, each has different inhabitants, climates and opulences.

  2. 2

    Kardama Muni experienced these wonders with his wife and then returned to his humble hermitage. Perfect yoga involves more than sitting postures or claims of becoming God.

  3. 3

    Even immense mystic power cannot equal the power of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kardama Muni remained a devotee, which is the real position of every living entity.

Key points from the purport
  • Every planet is round, and each planet is a different shelter, just like islands in the great ocean.
  • In the Brahma-saṁhitā (5.40) it is similarly stated, vibhūti-bhinnam: on each and every planet there are different opulences.
  • By God’s grace, by nature’s law, each and every planet is made differently and has different wonderful features.

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 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. prekṣayitvāafter showing
  2. bhuvaḥof the universe
  3. golamthe globe
  4. patnyaito his wife
  5. yāvānas much
  6. sva-saṁsthayāwith its arrangements
  7. bahu-āścaryamfull of many wonders
  8. mahā-yogīthe great yogī (Kardama)
  9. sva-āśramāyato his own hermitage
  10. nyavartatareturned
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.23

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 3.23

    In this verse: “humble”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.23

    In this verse: “grace”

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 does Kardama Muni’s example help me distinguish devotion from displays of power?

Practice

Take a moment to appreciate a wonder of nature while remembering that the Lord’s power is beyond that of any living entity.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.23's connections

Live this todayEven Perfect Yogīs Remain the Lord’s ServantsThis 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 3.23.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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