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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
3.24.403.24.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.41

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.24.41inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

एवं समुदितस्तेन कपिलेन प्रजापति: ।

दक्षिणीकृत्य तं प्रीतो वनमेव जगाम ह ॥ ४१ ॥

maitreya uvāca

evaṁ samuditas tena

kapilena prajāpatiḥ

dakṣiṇī-kṛtya taṁ prīto

vanam eva jagāma ha

Translation

Śrī Maitreya said: Thus when Kardama Muni, the progenitor of human society, was spoken to in fullness by his son, Kapila, he circumambulated Him, and with a good, pacified mind he at once left for the forest.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Full Shelter of the Lord

  1. 1

    After hearing Kapila, Kardama Muni circumambulated Him and left for the forest with a peaceful mind.

  2. 2

    Going to the forest means taking complete shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and engaging in His service. Merely living among trees and animals does not fulfill this purpose.

  3. 3

    The purport says that physically entering a forest is not necessary. The essential change is to give up forgetfulness of one's eternal relationship with the Lord and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • One does not actually have to go to the forest.
  • As explained by Prahlāda Mahārāja (hitvātma-pātaṁ gṛham andha-kūpam), one should not remain always engaged in the responsibilities of family life because family life without Kṛṣṇa consciousness is just like a blind well.
  • Prahlāda Mahārāja advised that one should give up this well somehow or other and take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness and thus be freed from material entanglement, which is full of anxieties.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 3.24.41 quotesSB 7.5.5

Sadā samudvigna-dhiyām. People who have accepted a temporary, material body are always full of anxieties.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 uvācathe great sage Maitreya said
  2. evamthus
  3. samuditaḥaddressed
  4. tenaby Him
  5. kapilenaby Kapila
  6. prajāpatiḥthe progenitor of human society
  7. dakṣiṇī-kṛtyahaving circumambulated
  8. tamHim
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.24

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

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

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Where in my daily responsibilities do I most easily forget my relationship with the Lord?

Practice

Set aside five minutes from household concerns today to focus exclusively on devotional service.

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.

The purport quotesSB 7.5.5

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.24's connections

Live this todayTake Full Shelter of the LordThis 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 3.24.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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