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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
3.26.273.26.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.26.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

यद्विदुर्ह्यनिरुद्धाख्यं हृषीकाणामधीश्वरम् ।

शारदेन्दीवरश्यामं संराध्यं योगिभि: शनै: ॥ २८ ॥

yad vidur hy aniruddhākhyaṁ

hṛṣīkāṇām adhīśvaram

śāradendīvara-śyāmaṁ

saṁrādhyaṁ yogibhiḥ śanaiḥ

Translation

The mind of the living entity is known by the name of Lord Aniruddha, the supreme ruler of the senses. He possesses a bluish-black form resembling a lotus flower growing in the autumn. He is found slowly by the yogīs.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Meditation on the Lord of the Mind

  1. 1

    Aniruddha is the Lord of the mind and the supreme ruler of the senses. His bluish-black form resembles an autumn lotus.

  2. 2

    The prescribed meditation is upon Aniruddha's form, not upon voidness. He is four-handed, holding Sudarśana cakra, a conchshell, a club and a lotus flower.

  3. 3

    Fixing the mind upon Aniruddha frees it from the agitation of acceptance and rejection. One gradually approaches pure Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the ultimate goal of yoga.

Key points from the purport
  • The system of yoga entails controlling the mind, and the Lord of the mind is Aniruddha.
  • Actually the process of yoga meditation, as prescribed in this verse, should be fixed upon the form of Aniruddha.
  • When one’s mind is fixed upon Aniruddha, one gradually becomes God-realized; he approaches the pure status of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, which is the ultimate goal of yoga.

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. yatwhich mind
  2. viduḥis known
  3. hiindeed
  4. aniruddha-ākhyamby the name Aniruddha
  5. hṛṣīkāṇāmof the senses
  6. adhīśvaramthe supreme ruler
  7. śāradaautumnal
  8. indīvaralike a blue lotus
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.26

    In this verse: “ruler”

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

How does meditating on the Lord's form differ from trying merely to empty my mind?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute recalling Aniruddha's form as described here.

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 todayMeditation on the Lord of the MindThis 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 3.26.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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