1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
3.24.323.24.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.33

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

परं प्रधानं पुरुषं महान्तं

कालं कविं त्रिवृतं लोकपालम् ।

आत्मानुभूत्यानुगतप्रपञ्चं

स्वच्छन्दशक्तिं कपिलं प्रपद्ये ॥ ३३ ॥

paraṁ pradhānaṁ puruṣaṁ mahāntaṁ

kālaṁ kaviṁ tri-vṛtaṁ loka-pālam

ātmānubhūtyānugata-prapañcaṁ

svacchanda-śaktiṁ kapilaṁ prapadye

Translation

I surrender unto the Supreme Personality of Godhead, descended in the form of Kapila, who is independently powerful and transcendental, who is the Supreme Person and the Lord of the sum total of matter and the element of time, who is the fully cognizant maintainer of all the universes under the three modes of material nature, and who absorbs the material manifestations after their dissolution.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Is Independent and Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the original person and the cause of all causes, not formless. He knows everything—past, present and future.

  2. 2

    The material world is a manifestation of His energy. He maintains all living entities, but no one maintains Him; He is fully independent.

  3. 3

    Although Kapila appeared as Kardama Muni’s son, Kardama offered Him obeisances with full surrender. When Kṛṣṇa or His expansions descend, their bodies are always transcendental, never products of material energy.

Key points from the purport
  • The material world, which is moving under the spell of the three modes of nature, is also a manifestation of His energy.
  • We can understand that whatever we see is an interaction of the three modes of material nature, but actually it is all an interaction of the Lord’s energy.
  • Kapila Muni appeared as the son of Kardama Muni, but because Kapila is an incarnation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kardama Muni offered respectful obeisances unto Him with full surrender.

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. paramtranscendental
  2. pradhānamsupreme
  3. puruṣamperson
  4. mahāntamwho is the origin of the material world
  5. kālamwho is time
  6. kavimfully cognizant
  7. tri-vṛtamthree modes of material nature
  8. loka-pālamwho is the maintainer of all the universes
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • 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

How does the Lord’s complete independence deepen my understanding of surrender?

Practice

Pause today to offer respectful obeisances to the Lord, remembering that He maintains all living entities.

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 Is Independent and 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 3.24.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories