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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 27: Understanding Material Nature
3.27.13.27.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.27.2

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kapilasince 3.27.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

स एष यर्हि प्रकृतेर्गुणेष्वभिविषज्जते ।

अहंक्रियाविमूढात्मा कर्तास्मीत्यभिमन्यते ॥ २ ॥

sa eṣa yarhi prakṛter

guṇeṣv abhiviṣajjate

ahaṅkriyā-vimūḍhātmā

kartāsmīty abhimanyate

Translation

When the soul is under the spell of material nature and false ego, identifying his body as the self, he becomes absorbed in material activities, and by the influence of false ego he thinks that he is the proprietor of everything.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Freedom Through the Supreme Lord’s Direction

  1. 1

    False ego makes the soul identify the body as the self and think himself the proprietor. Although he thinks he acts independently, he is under the pressure of material nature’s modes.

  2. 2

    The false sense of proprietorship can be avoided through devotional service under the direction of the Supreme Lord or His bona fide representative. Under the Lord’s direction, the living entity is free.

  3. 3

    Even a person acting in material goodness remains conditioned by nature. Arjuna became free from proprietorship and the reactions of fighting when he acted under Kṛṣṇa’s direction.

Key points from the purport
  • Actually the conditioned soul is forced to act under the pressure of the modes of material nature.
  • When he is under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead he is free, but when, under the impression that he is satisfying his senses, he engages in sense gratificatory activities, he is actually under the spell of material nature.
  • A conditioned soul may be very good and act in the mode of goodness, but still he is conditioned under the spell of material nature.

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 27: Understanding Material Nature

Kapila explains how hearing, chanting, knowledge, and devotional service free the soul from material nature.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.27
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat very living entity
  2. eṣaḥthis
  3. yarhiwhen
  4. prakṛteḥof material nature
  5. guṇeṣuin the modes
  6. abhiviṣajjateis absorbed
  7. ahaṅkriyāby false ego
  8. vimūḍhabewildered
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.27

    In this verse: “material”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 3.27

    In this verse: “false ego”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.27

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

Am I seeking independence through sense enjoyment, or freedom through the Lord’s direction?

Practice

Choose one instruction on devotional service from today’s reading and put it into action.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFreedom Through the Supreme Lord’s DirectionThis 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 3.27.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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