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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 26: Fundamental Principles of Material Nature
3.26.163.26.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.26.17

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 3.26.10inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

प्रकृतेर्गुणसाम्यस्य निर्विशेषस्य मानवि ।

चेष्टा यत: स भगवान्काल इत्युपलक्षित: ॥ १७ ॥

prakṛter guṇa-sāmyasya

nirviśeṣasya mānavi

ceṣṭā yataḥ sa bhagavān

kāla ity upalakṣitaḥ

Translation

My dear mother, O daughter of Svāyambhuva Manu, the time factor, as I have explained, is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, from whom the creation begins as a result of the agitation of the neutral, unmanifested nature.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creation Depends on the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Unmanifested material nature, called pradhāna, remains neutral before the Lord agitates it. Its three modes do not yet interact.

  2. 2

    The glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead causes material nature to manifest in different ways. Without His contact, material nature cannot produce anything.

  3. 3

    Time is the representation of the Supreme Personality of Godhead that agitates material nature. Ultimately, the Lord is the cause of creation.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord says that when the unmanifested material nature is agitated by the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, it begins to manifest itself in different ways.
  • In other words, material nature cannot produce any variety of manifestations without the contact of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • As a woman cannot produce children unless impregnated by a man, material nature cannot produce or manifest anything unless it is impregnated by the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the form of the time factor.

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 26: Fundamental Principles of Material Nature

Kapila explains material nature, consciousness, time, the elements, and the manifestation of the universal form.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.26
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prakṛteḥof material nature
  2. guṇa-sāmyasyawithout interaction of the three modes
  3. nirviśeṣasyawithout specific qualities
  4. mānaviO daughter of Manu
  5. ceṣṭāmovement
  6. yataḥfrom whom
  7. saḥHe
  8. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.26

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.26

    In this verse: “material”

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

Do I see material nature as independent, or as dependent on the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Look at one manifestation of nature today and pause to remember its dependence on the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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 todayCreation Depends on the Supreme 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 3.26.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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