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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 24: The Renunciation of Kardama Muni
3.24.273.24.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.28

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kardama Munisince 3.24.27inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

बहुजन्मविपक्‍वेन सम्यग्योगसमाधिना ।

द्रष्टुं यतन्ते यतय: शून्यागारेषु यत्पदम् ॥ २८ ॥

bahu-janma-vipakvena

samyag-yoga-samādhinā

draṣṭuṁ yatante yatayaḥ

śūnyāgāreṣu yat-padam

Translation

After many births, mature yogīs, by complete trance in yoga, endeavor in secluded places to see the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Yoga Becomes Complete Through Devotional Surrender

  1. 1

    Mature yogīs endeavor in secluded places to see the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Such maturity comes after many births of practice.

  2. 2

    Complete yoga practice means bhakti-yoga. Without surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, yoga remains incomplete.

  3. 3

    Sitting postures alone do not immediately make one perfect. Success in yoga depends on surrender to the Supreme Lord, not on claims of becoming God.

Key points from the purport
  • The word bahu janma-vipakvena means “after many, many births of mature yoga practice.”
  • After many, many years and many, many births of complete practice of yoga, one can see the lotus feet of the Supreme Lord in a secluded place.
  • Those who are actually yogīs practice in a secluded place, and after many, many births they become successful, provided they surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bahumany
  2. janmaafter births
  3. vipakvenawhich is mature
  4. samyakperfect
  5. yoga-samādhināby trance in yoga
  6. draṣṭumto see
  7. yatantethey endeavor
  8. yatayaḥthe yogīs
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “bhakti-yoga”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “surrender”

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

Am I seeking spiritual achievement, or learning to surrender to the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute offering a prayer of surrender to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayYoga Becomes Complete Through Devotional SurrenderThis 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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