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 25: The Glories of Devotional Service
3.25.13.25.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.25.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 3.25.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

न ह्यस्य वर्ष्मण: पुंसां वरिम्ण: सर्वयोगिनाम् ।

विश्रुतौ श्रुतदेवस्य भूरि तृप्यन्ति मेऽसव: ॥ २ ॥

na hy asya varṣmaṇaḥ puṁsāṁ

varimṇaḥ sarva-yoginām

viśrutau śruta-devasya

bhūri tṛpyanti me ’savaḥ

Translation

Śaunaka continued: There is no one who knows more than the Lord Himself. No one is more worshipable or more mature a yogī than He. He is therefore the master of the Vedas, and to hear about Him always is the actual pleasure of the senses.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing Kṛṣṇa Gives the Senses Real Pleasure

  1. 1

    No one is equal to or greater than Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He supplies the necessities of all other living entities and surpasses everyone in all opulences.

  2. 2

    Anyone constantly associated with the Supreme Lord is accepted as a first-class yogī. A devotee’s extraordinary power is the Lord’s concession.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s instructions are transcendental and nondifferent from Him. Repeatedly hearing His teachings and chanting His glories bring fresh enlightenment and increasing happiness.

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā it is stated that no one can be equal to or greater than the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Thus all other living entities, both viṣṇu-tattva and jīva-tattva, are subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa.
  • The more we hear and chant the glories of the Lord, the more we become happy.

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

Entanglement → Insight and liberation. Inquiry matures into instruction in devotion and spiritual nature.

Chapters 25–33 of Canto 3: Kapila instructs Devahūti. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 25: The Glories of Devotional Service

Kapila teaches Devahūti the glories of devotional service, association with devotees, and freedom from material attachment.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.25
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. hiindeed
  3. asyaabout Him
  4. varṣmaṇaḥthe greatest
  5. puṁsāmamong men
  6. varimṇaḥthe foremost
  7. sarvaall
  8. yogināmof yogīs
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 3.25

    In this verse: “worshipable”, “devotee’s”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.25

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What fresh understanding do I notice when I return to the Lord’s teachings?

Practice

Reread a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā today, looking for something you had not previously noticed.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayHearing Kṛṣṇa Gives the Senses Real PleasureThis 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 3.25.2? 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