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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
3.26.463.26.48

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.26.47

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

नभोगुणविशेषोऽर्थो यस्य तच्छ्रोत्रमुच्यते ।

वायोर्गुणविशेषोऽर्थो यस्य तत्स्पर्शनं विदु: ॥ ४७ ॥

nabho-guṇa-viśeṣo ’rtho

yasya tac chrotram ucyate

vāyor guṇa-viśeṣo ’rtho

yasya tat sparśanaṁ viduḥ

Translation

The sense whose object of perception is sound is called the auditory sense, and that whose object of perception is touch is called the tactile sense.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sound and Touch Have Distinct Senses

  1. 1

    Sound is a qualification of the sky and is the object of hearing.

  2. 2

    Touch is a qualification of the air and is the object of the touch sensation.

  3. 3

    The sense that perceives sound is called the auditory sense. The sense that perceives touch is called the tactile sense.

Key points from the purport
  • Sound is one of the qualifications of the sky and is the subject matter for hearing.
  • Similarly, touch is the qualification of the air and is the subject of the touch sensation.

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. nabhaḥ-guṇa-viśeṣaḥthe distinctive characteristic of sky (sound)
  2. arthaḥobject of perception
  3. yasyawhose
  4. tatthat
  5. śrotramthe auditory sense
  6. ucyateis called
  7. vāyoḥ guṇa-viśeṣaḥthe distinctive characteristic of air (touch)
  8. arthaḥobject of perception
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”

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

Can I distinguish what I hear from what I feel through touch?

Practice

Notice one sound and one touch today, and name the sense that perceives each.

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 todaySound and Touch Have Distinct SensesThis 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 3.26.47? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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