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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
3.30.123.30.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.13

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

एवं स्वभरणाकल्पं तत्कलत्रादयस्तथा ।

नाद्रियन्ते यथापूर्वं कीनाशा इव गोजरम् ॥ १३ ॥

evaṁ sva-bharaṇākalpaṁ

tat-kalatrādayas tathā

nādriyante yathā pūrvaṁ

kīnāśā iva go-jaram

Translation

Seeing him unable to support them, his wife and others do not treat him with the same respect as before, even as miserly farmers do not accord the same treatment to their old and worn-out oxen.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Take Shelter Before Old Age

  1. 1

    When the attached family man can no longer earn, his relatives neglect him and no longer offer their former respect.

  2. 2

    The verse compares this treatment to that of miserly farmers toward old, worn-out oxen.

  3. 3

    The purport advises giving up family attachment before old age and taking shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should engage in the Lord’s service so that He can take charge.

Key points from the purport
  • Not only in the present age but from time immemorial, no one has liked an old man who is unable to earn in the family.
  • Similarly, when an attached person in family life becomes old and is unable to earn, he is no longer liked by his wife, sons, daughters and other kinsmen, and he is consequently neglected, what to speak of not being given respect.
  • One should employ himself in the Lord’s service so that the Supreme Lord can take charge of him and he will not be neglected by his so-called kinsmen.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. sva-bharaṇato maintain them
  3. akalpamunable
  4. tathis
  5. kalatrawife
  6. ādayaḥand so on
  7. tathāso
  8. nanot
3

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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “attached”

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 relying more on family approval than on the shelter of the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today for the Lord’s service rather than seeking appreciation from others.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTake Shelter Before Old AgeThis 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 3.30.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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