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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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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 26: Fundamental Principles of Material Nature
3.26.393.26.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.26.40

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

द्योतनं पचनं पानमदनं हिममर्दनम् ।

तेजसो वृत्तयस्त्वेता: शोषणं क्षुत्तृडेव च ॥ ४० ॥

dyotanaṁ pacanaṁ pānam

adanaṁ hima-mardanam

tejaso vṛttayas tv etāḥ

śoṣaṇaṁ kṣut tṛḍ eva ca

Translation

Fire is appreciated by its light and by its ability to cook, to digest, to destroy cold, to evaporate, and to give rise to hunger, thirst, eating and drinking.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fire Illuminates, Warms and Supports Digestion

  1. 1

    The first symptoms of fire are light and heat. Fire also counteracts cold and causes evaporation.

  2. 2

    The purport describes fire as present in the stomach. Digestion, hunger, thirst and the power to eat and drink depend on this fire.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that Āyurvedic treatment considers the fire element when digestion is weak. It presents this understanding as corroborating Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • The first symptoms of fire are distribution of light and heat, and the existence of fire is also perceived in the stomach.
  • When there is insufficient hunger and thirst, it is understood that there is a shortage of fire within the stomach, and the Āyurvedic treatment is performed in connection with the fire element, agni-māndyam.
  • Severe cold can always be counteracted by fire.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dyotanamillumination
  2. pacanamcooking, digesting
  3. pānamdrinking
  4. adanameating
  5. hima-mardanamdestroying cold
  6. tejasaḥof fire
  7. vṛttayaḥfunctions
  8. tuindeed
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understanding”

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

Which functions of fire do you usually notice, and which do you overlook?

Practice

At a meal today, pause to recall fire’s roles in both cooking and digestion.

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 todayFire Illuminates, Warms and Supports DigestionThis 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 3.26.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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