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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 3.30.26

Who is speaking and story frame

जीवतश्चान्त्राभ्युद्धार: श्वगृध्रैर्यमसादने ।

सर्पवृश्चिकदंशाद्यैर्दशद्‌भिश्चात्मवैशसम् ॥ २६ ॥

jīvataś cāntrābhyuddhāraḥ

śva-gṛdhrair yama-sādane

sarpa-vṛścika-daṁśādyair

daśadbhiś cātma-vaiśasam

Translation

His entrails are pulled out by the hounds and vultures of hell, even though he is still alive to see it, and he is subjected to torment by serpents, scorpions, gnats and other creatures that bite him.

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.

Conscious Suffering in Hell

  1. 1

    Hounds and vultures pull out the person’s entrails in hell.

  2. 2

    He remains alive and sees what is happening to him.

  3. 3

    Serpents, scorpions, gnats and other biting creatures also torment him.

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. jīvataḥalive
  2. caand
  3. antraof his entrails
  4. abhyuddhāraḥpulling out
  5. śva-gṛdhraiḥby dogs and vultures
  6. yama-sādanein the abode of Yamarāja
  7. sarpaby serpents
  8. vṛścikascorpions
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

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

Does this description make me more serious about avoiding actions that lead to suffering?

Practice

Reflect briefly on this verse, then choose one harmful action to refrain from today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayConscious Suffering in HellThis 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 3.30.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.