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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 23: Devahūti’s Lamentation
3.23.473.23.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.23.48

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
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

अत: सा सुषुवे सद्यो देवहूति: स्त्रिय: प्रजा: ।

सर्वास्ताश्चारुसर्वाङ्‍ग्यो लोहितोत्पलगन्धय: ॥ ४८ ॥

ataḥ sā suṣuve sadyo

devahūtiḥ striyaḥ prajāḥ

sarvās tāś cāru-sarvāṅgyo

lohitotpala-gandhayaḥ

Translation

Immediately afterward, on the same day, Devahūti gave birth to nine female children, all charming in every limb and fragrant with the scent of the red lotus flower.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Nine Beautiful Daughters Were Born

  1. 1

    Devahūti gave birth to nine daughters on the same day.

  2. 2

    All nine daughters were beautiful, with charming, well-formed limbs.

  3. 3

    The purport compares each daughter to a lotus flower. Their bodies carried a fragrance like that of a red lotus.

Key points from the purport
  • Devahūti was too sexually excited, and therefore she discharged more ova, and nine daughters were born.
  • It is said in the smṛti-śāstra as well as in the Āyur-veda that when the discharge of the male is greater, male children are begotten, but when the discharge of the female is greater, female children are begotten.
  • All the daughters, however, were very beautiful, and their bodies were nicely formed; each resembled a lotus flower and was fragrant like a lotus.

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. ataḥthen
  2. sāshe
  3. suṣuvegave birth
  4. sadyaḥon the same day
  5. devahūtiḥDevahūti
  6. striyaḥfemales
  7. prajāḥprogeny
  8. sarvāḥall
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.23

    In this verse: “children”

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 details help me appreciate the description of Devahūti’s daughters?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once, noticing its descriptions of the daughters’ beauty and fragrance.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNine Beautiful Daughters Were BornThis 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.

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