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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
3.26.313.26.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.26.32

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

तामसाच्च विकुर्वाणाद्भगवद्वीर्यचोदितात् ।

शब्दमात्रमभूत्तस्मान्नभ: श्रोत्रं तु शब्दगम् ॥ ३२ ॥

tāmasāc ca vikurvāṇād

bhagavad-vīrya-coditāt

śabda-mātram abhūt tasmān

nabhaḥ śrotraṁ tu śabdagam

Translation

When egoism in ignorance is agitated by the sex energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the subtle element sound is manifested, and from sound come the ethereal sky and the sense of hearing.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Sound Frees Us from Entanglement

  1. 1

    Under the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, sound manifests from egoism in ignorance. From sound come the ethereal sky and the sense of hearing.

  2. 2

    Material manifestation begins from sound, and spiritually potent sound can end material entanglement. The transcendental vibration Hare Kṛṣṇa has this liberating potency.

  3. 3

    Knowledge must be received by hearing, and spiritual advancement requires hearing from the proper source. Such hearing creates a favorable field for spiritual activities.

Key points from the purport
  • Now we must purify that sound in spiritual understanding.
  • There is sound in the spiritual world also.
  • By hearing only can we have access to either material or spiritual enjoyment.

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

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.276

From sound vibration, the sky (ākāśa) is manifested, and then the senses, beginning with the sense of hearing, are also manifested.

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 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāmasātfrom egoism in ignorance
  2. caand
  3. vikurvāṇātundergoing transformation
  4. bhagavat-vīryaby the energy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  5. coditātimpelled
  6. śabda-mātramthe subtle element sound
  7. abhūtwas manifested
  8. tasmātfrom that
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.26

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.26

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • 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

What kinds of sound am I allowing to shape my consciousness?

Practice

Spend two minutes chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa and attentively hearing the sound.

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 todaySpiritual Sound Frees Us from EntanglementThis 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 3.26.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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