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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
3.24.303.24.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.31

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kardama Munisince 3.24.30inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

तान्येव तेऽभिरूपाणि रूपाणि भगवंस्तव ।

यानि यानि च रोचन्ते स्वजनानामरूपिण: ॥ ३१ ॥

tāny eva te ’bhirūpāṇi

rūpāṇi bhagavaṁs tava

yāni yāni ca rocante

sva-janānām arūpiṇaḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, although You have no material form, You have Your own innumerable forms. They truly are Your transcendental forms, which are pleasing to Your devotees.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Innumerable Forms Are Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Lord is one Absolute, yet He has innumerable forms. Being without material form does not mean that He has no spiritual form.

  2. 2

    His transcendental forms exist simultaneously and please devotees according to their different tastes. These forms are personal, not material.

  3. 3

    The name Kṛṣṇa refers to all the Lord’s forms, including Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, and Nārāyaṇa. They are all viṣṇu-tattva, Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is the original form, but still He has multiforms.
  • The Lord has form, otherwise how can it be stated here, tāny eva te ’bhirūpāṇi rūpāṇi bhagavaṁs tava: “You have Your forms, but they are not material.
  • The conclusion is that the Lord has no material form, and yet, according to the liking of different grades of devotees, He simultaneously exists in multiforms, such as Rāma, Nṛsiṁha, Varāha, Nārāyaṇa and Mukunda.

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. tānithose
  2. evatruly
  3. teYour
  4. abhirūpāṇisuitable
  5. rūpāṇiforms
  6. bhagavanO Lord
  7. tavaYour
  8. yāni yāniwhichever
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 3.24

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “material”

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 knowing that the Lord’s forms are spiritual deepen my understanding of Him?

Practice

Choose one form of the Lord named in this purport and spend a minute offering respectful prayer, remembering that His form is transcendental.

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 todayThe Lord’s Innumerable Forms Are TranscendentalThis 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 3.24.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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