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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.28.37

Who is speaking and story frame

देहं च तं न चरम: स्थितमुत्थितं वा

सिद्धो विपश्यति यतोऽध्यगमत्स्वरूपम् ।

दैवादुपेतमथ दैववशादपेतं

वासो यथा परिकृतं मदिरामदान्ध: ॥ ३७ ॥

dehaṁ ca taṁ na caramaḥ sthitam utthitaṁ vā

siddho vipaśyati yato ’dhyagamat svarūpam

daivād upetam atha daiva-vaśād apetaṁ

vāso yathā parikṛtaṁ madirā-madāndhaḥ

Translation

Because he has achieved his real identity, the perfectly realized soul has no conception of how the material body is moving or acting, just as an intoxicated person cannot understand whether or not he has clothing on his body.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Complete Service Absorbs the Realized Soul

  1. 1

    The perfectly realized soul has achieved his real identity. His attention is no longer centered on how the material body is moving or acting.

  2. 2

    The purport describes a person whose mind is completely aligned with the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    Such a person engages fully in the Lord’s service. Through this complete absorption, he forgets his material bodily demands.

Key points from the purport
  • This stage of life is explained by Rūpa Gosvāmī in his Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu.
  • A person whose mind is completely dovetailed with the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and who engages one hundred percent in the service of the Lord, forgets his material bodily demands.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dehammaterial body
  2. caand
  3. tamthat
  4. nanot
  5. caramaḥlast
  6. sthitamsitting
  7. utthitamrising
  8. vāor
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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 3.28

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this description teach me about the depth of complete absorption in service?

Practice

Give one brief period of devotional service your undivided attention today, focusing on the desire to please the Lord.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayComplete Service Absorbs the Realized SoulThis 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 3.28.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.