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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 30: Description by Lord Kapila of Adverse Fruitive Activities
3.30.93.30.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.10

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 3.30.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

अर्थैरापादितैर्गुर्व्या हिंसयेतस्ततश्च तान् ।

पुष्णाति येषां पोषेण शेषभुग्यात्यध: स्वयम् ॥ १० ॥

arthair āpāditair gurvyā

hiṁsayetas-tataś ca tān

puṣṇāti yeṣāṁ poṣeṇa

śeṣa-bhug yāty adhaḥ svayam

Translation

He secures money by committing violence here and there, and although he employs it in the service of his family, he himself eats only a little portion of the food thus purchased, and he goes to hell for those for whom he earned the money in such an irregular way.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Direct Your Service to the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Earning money through violence or dishonesty brings suffering, even when done for family maintenance. Dependents may remain dissatisfied, and the earner cannot consume more than his own limited share.

  2. 2

    The living entity is constitutionally a servant and part and parcel of the Supreme Being. Forgetting service to Him, one serves māyā while falsely thinking oneself the master.

  3. 3

    The conclusion is to become Kṛṣṇa conscious and serve the Supreme Lord. One should engage one’s whole life, wealth, intelligence and speech in His service.

Key points from the purport
  • Although an attached family man is always engaged in getting money by hook or by crook for the maintenance of his family, he cannot enjoy more than what he could consume even without such criminal activities.
  • A man who eats eight ounces of foodstuffs may have to maintain a big family and earn money by any means to support that family, but he himself is not offered more than what he can eat, and sometimes he eats the remnants that are left after his family members are fed.
  • The head of a family thinks of himself as the master of the family, or the leader of a nation thinks of himself as the master of the nation, whereas actually he is serving, and by serving māyā he is gradually going to hell.

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 30: Description by Lord Kapila of Adverse Fruitive Activities

Kapila describes the anxiety, death, and punishment of a person absorbed in sinful material pursuits.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.30
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. arthaiḥby wealth
  2. āpāditaiḥsecured
  3. gurvyāgreat
  4. hiṁsayāby violence
  5. itaḥ-tataḥhere and there
  6. caand
  7. tānthem (family members)
  8. puṣṇātihe maintains
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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 3.30

    In this verse: “māyā”, “wealth”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “suffering”

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

How can I turn my desire to provide and serve toward the Supreme Lord without acting unfairly?

Practice

Choose one small use of your wealth, intelligence or speech today and deliberately offer it in Kṛṣṇa’s service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDirect Your Service to the Supreme LordThis 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 3.30.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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