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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 28: Kapila’s Instructions on the Execution of Devotional Service
3.28.243.28.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.28.25

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 3.28.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

नाभिह्रदं भुवनकोशगुहोदरस्थं

यत्रात्मयोनिधिषणाखिललोकपद्मम् ।

व्यूढं हरिन्मणिवृषस्तनयोरमुष्य

ध्यायेद्‍द्वयं विशदहारमयूखगौरम् ॥ २५ ॥

nābhi-hradaṁ bhuvana-kośa-guhodara-sthaṁ

yatrātma-yoni-dhiṣaṇākhila-loka-padmam

vyūḍhaṁ harin-maṇi-vṛṣa-stanayor amuṣya

dhyāyed dvayaṁ viśada-hāra-mayūkha-gauram

Translation

The yogī should then meditate on His moonlike navel in the center of His abdomen. From His navel, which is the foundation of the entire universe, sprang the lotus stem containing all the different planetary systems. The lotus is the residence of Brahmā, the first created being. In the same way, the yogī should concentrate his mind on the Lord’s nipples, which resemble a pair of most exquisite emeralds and which appear whitish because of the rays of the milk-white pearl necklaces adorning His chest.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Creation Depends on the Lord’s Spiritual Body

  1. 1

    The Lord’s navel is the foundation of material creation. Brahmā is connected to Him by a lotus stem, and Brahmā’s creative energy comes from the Lord.

  2. 2

    Every limb of the Lord’s spiritual body has the potency of every other limb. His ability to bring forth Brahmā should not be judged by the limitations of material bodies.

  3. 3

    Every creative function in the universe has a direct connection with the Lord. Even His pearl necklace is spiritual, and the yogī is advised to contemplate its whitish luster.

Key points from the purport
  • The yogī is advised next to meditate upon the navel of the Lord, which is the foundation of all material creation.
  • Brahmā holds the post of the creator of all planetary systems, but his engineering energy is generated from the abdomen of the Lord.
  • The necklace of pearls which decorates the upper portion of the Lord’s body is also spiritual, and therefore the yogī is advised to gaze at the whitish luster of the pearls decorating His chest.

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 28: Kapila’s Instructions on the Execution of Devotional Service

Kapila teaches disciplined yoga and devoted meditation upon the Lord’s eternal form.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nābhi-hradamthe navel lake
  2. bhuvana-kośaof all the worlds
  3. guhāthe foundation
  4. udaraon the abdomen
  5. sthamsituated
  6. yatrawhere
  7. ātma-yoniof Brahmā
  8. dhiṣaṇaresidence
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.28

    In this verse: “luster”, “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

Where do I tend to impose material limitations on the Lord’s spiritual form?

Practice

Spend a minute contemplating the lotus arising from the Lord’s navel, remembering that all creative energy depends on Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.28's connections

Live this todayCreation Depends on the Lord’s Spiritual BodyThis 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 3.28.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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