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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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 30: Description by Lord Kapila of Adverse Fruitive Activities
3.30.223.30.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.23

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

तत्र तत्र पतञ्छ्रान्तो मूर्च्छित: पुनरुत्थित: ।

पथा पापीयसा नीतस्तरसा यमसादनम् ॥ २३ ॥

tatra tatra patañ chrānto

mūrcchitaḥ punar utthitaḥ

pathā pāpīyasā nītas

tarasā yama-sādanam

Translation

While passing on that road to the abode of Yamarāja, he falls down in fatigue, and sometimes he becomes unconscious, but he is forced to rise again. In this way he is very quickly brought to the presence of Yamarāja.

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.

Exhaustion Does Not End the Journey

  1. 1

    On the road to Yamarāja’s abode, the sinful person falls down from fatigue.

  2. 2

    Sometimes he becomes unconscious, but he is forced to rise again.

  3. 3

    Despite his exhaustion, he is brought very quickly into Yamarāja’s presence.

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. tatra tatrahere and there
  2. patanfalling
  3. śrāntaḥfatigued
  4. mūrcchitaḥunconscious
  5. punaḥagain
  6. utthitaḥrisen
  7. pathāby the road
  8. pāpīyasāvery inauspicious
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “sinful”

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

What does this unavoidable journey teach me about taking responsibility for my actions now?

Practice

Identify one action you have been treating lightly, and pause to consider its consequences before repeating it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayExhaustion Does Not End the JourneyThis 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 3.30.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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