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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 27: Understanding Material Nature
3.27.83.27.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.27.9

Mukti· Liberation
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

सानुबन्धे च देहेऽस्मिन्नकुर्वन्नसदाग्रहम् ।

ज्ञानेन द‍ृष्टतत्त्वेन प्रकृते: पुरुषस्य च ॥ ९ ॥

sānubandhe ca dehe ’sminn

akurvann asad-āgraham

jñānena dṛṣṭa-tattvena

prakṛteḥ puruṣasya ca

Translation

One’s seeing power should be increased through knowledge of spirit and matter, and one should not unnecessarily identify himself with the body and thus become attracted by bodily relationships.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Distinguish Spirit From Matter

  1. 1

    The conditioned soul considers the body to be “myself” and its relationships and possessions to be “mine.” This aham-mamatā is the root cause of conditioned life.

  2. 2

    One should see things as a combination of matter and spirit. Knowledge helps one distinguish the nature of matter from the nature of spirit.

  3. 3

    Our real identification should be with spirit, not matter. Through this understanding, we should avoid the false bodily conception of life.

Key points from the purport
  • A person should see things as the combination of matter and spirit.
  • He should distinguish between the nature of matter and the nature of spirit, and his real identification should be with spirit, not with matter.
  • By this knowledge, one should avoid the false, bodily concept of life.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sa-anubandhewith bodily relationships
  2. caand
  3. dehetowards the body
  4. asminthis
  5. akurvannot doing
  6. asat-āgrahambodily concept of life
  7. jñānenathrough knowledge
  8. dṛṣṭahaving seen
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.27

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “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

Where do I most strongly identify the body or its possessions as “myself” or “mine”?

Practice

When a thought of “my body” or “my possessions” arises today, pause and remember that your real identity is spirit, not matter.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDistinguish Spirit From MatterThis 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 3.27.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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