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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
3.24.413.24.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.24.42

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

व्रतं स आस्थितो मौनमात्मैकशरणो मुनि: ।

नि:सङ्गो व्यचरत्क्षोणीमनग्निरनिकेतन: ॥ ४२ ॥

vrataṁ sa āsthito maunam

ātmaika-śaraṇo muniḥ

niḥsaṅgo vyacarat kṣoṇīm

anagnir aniketanaḥ

Translation

The sage Kardama accepted silence as a vow in order to think of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and take shelter of Him exclusively. Without association, he traveled over the surface of the globe as a sannyāsī, devoid of any relationship with fire or shelter.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Silence and Speech for the Lord

  1. 1

    As a sannyāsī, Kardama Muni traveled without his own lodging or responsibilities for cooking and fire sacrifices. He depended completely on the Supreme Lord.

  2. 2

    His vow of silence was meant to free him from nonsensical talk so that he could think about the Lord's pastimes and activities.

  3. 3

    True mauna includes using speech to glorify the Lord rather than speaking nonsense. Chanting and hearing about Him lead toward perfection.

Key points from the purport
  • A sannyāsī should be completely detached from fire and any residential quarters.
  • Unless one becomes silent, he cannot think completely about the pastimes and activities of the Lord.
  • But the silence adopted by Kardama Muni was not like that.

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. vratamvow
  2. saḥhe (Kardama)
  3. āsthitaḥaccepted
  4. maunamsilence
  5. ātmaby the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  6. ekaexclusively
  7. śaraṇaḥbeing sheltered
  8. muniḥthe sage
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”, “glorify”

  • 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

Does my speech help me remember the Lord, or does it distract me?

Practice

Replace one unnecessary conversation today with a few minutes of chanting or hearing about the Lord.

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 todayUse Silence and Speech for 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 3.24.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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