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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 25: The Glories of Devotional Service
3.25.39-403.25.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.25.41

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Lordsince 3.25.38inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

नान्यत्र मद्भगवत: प्रधानपुरुषेश्वरात् ।

आत्मन: सर्वभूतानां भयं तीव्रं निवर्तते ॥ ४१ ॥

nānyatra mad bhagavataḥ

pradhāna-puruṣeśvarāt

ātmanaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

bhayaṁ tīvraṁ nivartate

Translation

The terrible fear of birth and death can never be forsaken by anyone who resorts to any shelter other than Myself, for I am the almighty Lord, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original source of all creation, and also the Supreme Soul of all souls.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Surrender Opens the Way Beyond Fear

  1. 1

    The cycle of birth and death cannot be stopped without the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Speculation, mystic yoga and austerity cannot give liberation without surrender to Him.

  2. 2

    Knowing that one is spirit soul is not enough; one must engage in the Lord’s devotional service. Without transcendental service, the living entity falls back into material activity.

  3. 3

    The Lord is equal to everyone, yet especially favorable to those who surrender to Him. He possesses all opulences and is fully competent to deliver them from birth and death.

Key points from the purport
  • It is indicated herein that the cycle of birth and death cannot be stopped unless one is a pure devotee of the Supreme Lord.
  • One cannot surpass the cycle of birth and death unless one is favored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • The Lord is stated here to be Bhagavān, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, indicating that He is full of all opulences and is therefore perfectly competent to deliver one from the cycle of birth and death.

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 3.25.41 quotesSB 10.2.32

The answer is given by Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.2.32): ye ’nye ’ravindākṣa vimukta-māninaḥ.

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

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. anyatraotherwise
  3. matthan Myself
  4. bhagavataḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. pradhāna-puruṣa-īśvarātthe Lord of both prakṛti and puruṣa
  6. ātmanaḥthe soul
  7. sarva-bhūtānāmof all living beings
  8. bhayamfear
  9. tīvramterrible
  10. nivartateis forsaken
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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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.25

    In this verse: “fear”, “death”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.25

    In this verse: “shelter”, “surrender”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.25

    In this verse: “devotional service”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I move from merely understanding that I am spirit soul to acting as the Lord’s eternal servant?

Practice

Pause before one act of devotional service today and consciously offer it to the Lord in a spirit of surrender.

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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.

7

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 10.2.32

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.25's connections

Live this todaySurrender Opens the Way Beyond FearThis 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 3.25.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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