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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 3.30.16

Who is speaking and story frame

वायुनोत्क्रमतोत्तार: कफसंरुद्धनाडिक: ।

कासश्वासकृतायास: कण्ठे घुरघुरायते ॥ १६ ॥

vāyunotkramatottāraḥ

kapha-saṁruddha-nāḍikaḥ

kāsa-śvāsa-kṛtāyāsaḥ

kaṇṭhe ghura-ghurāyate

Translation

In that diseased condition, one’s eyes bulge due to the pressure of air from within, and his glands become congested with mucus. He has difficulty breathing, and upon exhaling and inhaling he produces a sound like ghura-ghura, a rattling within the throat.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Body Becomes Helpless in Disease

  1. 1

    In his diseased condition, pressure from air within causes his eyes to bulge.

  2. 2

    His glands become congested with mucus, and breathing becomes difficult.

  3. 3

    His inhaling and exhaling produce a rattling sound in the throat, described as ghura-ghura.

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. vāyunāby air
  2. utkramatābulging out
  3. uttāraḥhis eyes
  4. kaphawith mucus
  5. saṁruddhacongested
  6. nāḍikaḥhis windpipe
  7. kāsacoughing
  8. śvāsabreathing
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

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 does this description challenge my sense that bodily strength is dependable?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once today and reflect on the body’s vulnerability.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Body Becomes Helpless in DiseaseThis 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 3.30.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.