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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
3.30.243.30.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.25

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

आदीपनं स्वगात्राणां वेष्टयित्वोल्मुकादिभि: ।

आत्ममांसादनं क्‍वापि स्वकृत्तं परतोऽपि वा ॥ २५ ॥

ādīpanaṁ sva-gātrāṇāṁ

veṣṭayitvolmukādibhiḥ

ātma-māṁsādanaṁ kvāpi

sva-kṛttaṁ parato ’pi vā

Translation

He is placed in the midst of burning pieces of wood, and his limbs are set on fire. In some cases he is made to eat his own flesh or have it eaten by others.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Eating Flesh Has Painful Consequences

  1. 1

    The person is surrounded by burning wood, and his limbs are set on fire.

  2. 2

    He may be made to eat his own flesh or have it eaten by others present there.

  3. 3

    The purport connects this punishment with a life spent enjoying others’ flesh. What seemed enjoyable becomes a cause of suffering in Yamarāja’s abode.

Key points from the purport
  • From this verse through the next three verses the description of punishment will be narrated.
  • The first description is that the criminal has to eat his own flesh, burning with fire, or allow others like himself who are present there to eat.
  • In the last great war, people in concentration camps sometimes ate their own stool, so there is no wonder that in the Yamasādana, the abode of Yamarāja, one who had a very enjoyable life eating others’ flesh has to eat his own flesh.

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. ādīpanamsetting on fire
  2. sva-gātrāṇāmof his own limbs
  3. veṣṭayitvāhaving been surrounded
  4. ulmuka-ādibhiḥby pieces of burning wood and so on
  5. ātma-māṁsaof his own flesh
  6. adanameating
  7. kva apisometimes
  8. sva-kṛttamdone by himself
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

  • 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 does this connection between enjoyment and suffering invite me to reconsider my food choices?

Practice

Choose a meal without flesh today, remembering the consequences described in the purport.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEating Flesh Has Painful ConsequencesThis 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 3.30.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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