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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
3.28.293.28.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.28.30

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

यच्छ्रीनिकेतमलिभि: परिसेव्यमानं

भूत्या स्वया कुटिलकुन्तलवृन्दजुष्टम् ।

मीनद्वयाश्रयमधिक्षिपदब्जनेत्रं

ध्यायेन्मनोमयमतन्द्रित उल्लसद्भ्रु ॥ ३० ॥

yac chrī-niketam alibhiḥ parisevyamānaṁ

bhūtyā svayā kuṭila-kuntala-vṛnda-juṣṭam

mīna-dvayāśrayam adhikṣipad abja-netraṁ

dhyāyen manomayam atandrita ullasad-bhru

Translation

The yogi then meditates upon the beautiful face of the Lord, which is adorned with curly hair and decorated by lotuslike eyes and dancing eyebrows. A lotus surrounded by swarming bees and a pair of swimming fish would be put to shame by its elegance.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Meditate on the Lord’s Actual Form

  1. 1

    Meditating on the Lord within the mind does not mean imagining a form. Devotees worship His eternal forms as described in scripture and experienced by devotees.

  2. 2

    A form of the Lord carved within the mind is one of His eight kinds of representations. Like representations made from clay, stone or wood, it is meant for worship.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s face is compared to a lotus, His hair to swarming bees, and His eyes to swimming fish. His beauty is complete in itself and surpasses the natural beauty of a lotus.

Key points from the purport
  • Devotees never imagine a form of the Lord.
  • This is included as one of the eight different carvings of the form of the Lord.
  • Meditation on the actual form of the Lord may be manifested in different manners, but one should not conclude that one has to imagine a form.

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. yatwhich face of the Lord
  2. śrī-niketama lotus
  3. alibhiḥby bees
  4. parisevyamānamsurrounded
  5. bhūtyāby elegance
  6. svayāits
  7. kuṭilacurly
  8. kuntalaof hair
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.28

    In this verse: “devotees”, “worship”

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 grounding my meditation in the Lord’s described form rather than my own invention?

Practice

Reread the description of the Lord’s face, then briefly remember His curly hair, lotuslike eyes and dancing eyebrows.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMeditate on the Lord’s Actual FormThis 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 3.28.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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