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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 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Muni
3.24.193.24.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.20

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.24.20inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

तावाश्वास्य जगत्स्रष्टा कुमारै: सहनारद: ।

हंसो हंसेन यानेन त्रिधामपरमं ययौ ॥ २० ॥

maitreya uvāca

tāv āśvāsya jagat-sraṣṭā

kumāraiḥ saha-nāradaḥ

haṁso haṁsena yānena

tri-dhāma-paramaṁ yayau

Translation

Śrī Maitreya said: After thus speaking to Kardama Muni and his wife Devahūti, Lord Brahmā, the creator of the universe, who is also known as Haṁsa, went back to the highest of the three planetary systems on his swan carrier with the four Kumāras and Nārada.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brahmā Returns With the Lifelong Celibates

  1. 1

    After speaking to Kardama and Devahūti, Brahmā returned to his abode in a swan-shaped airplane. He is also called Haṁsa because he can grasp the essence of everything.

  2. 2

    Brahmā’s abode is above the upper planetary system, even above Siddhaloka. The four Kumāras and Nārada returned there with him.

  3. 3

    The four Kumāras and Nārada are naiṣṭhika-brahmacārīs, observing lifelong celibacy. They departed, while sages such as Marīci and Atri remained to marry Kardama’s daughters.

Key points from the purport
  • Brahmā is also known as Haṁsa because he can grasp the essence of everything.
  • The other ṛṣis who came with him, such as Marīci and Atri, remained there because they were to be married to the daughters of Kardama, but his other sons — Sanat, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanātana and Nārada — went back with him in his swan-shaped airplane.
  • They were not to attend the marriage ceremony of their other brothers, Marīci and the other sages, and therefore they went back with their father, Haṁsa.

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 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Muni

Kapila appears as Devahūti’s son, the daughters marry, and Kardama renounces family life with the Lord’s permission.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.24
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. maitreyaḥ uvācaMaitreya said
  2. tauthe couple
  3. āśvāsyahaving reassured
  4. jagat-sraṣṭāthe creator of the universe
  5. kumāraiḥalong with the Kumāras
  6. saha-nāradaḥwith Nārada
  7. haṁsaḥLord Brahmā
  8. haṁsena yānenaby his swan carrier
  9. tri-dhāma-paramamto the highest planetary system
  10. yayauwent
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 can I learn from the Kumāras and Nārada remaining faithful to their lifelong commitment?

Practice

Identify one spiritual commitment you have made and take one practical step to keep it today.

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 3.24's connections

Live this todayBrahmā Returns With the Lifelong CelibatesThis 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 3.24.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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