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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
3.30.263.30.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.27

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

kṛntanaṁ cāvayavaśo

gajādibhyo bhidāpanam

pātanaṁ giri-śṛṅgebhyo

rodhanaṁ cāmbu-gartayoḥ

Translation

Next his limbs are lopped off and torn asunder by elephants. He is hurled down from hilltops, and he is also held captive either in water or in a cave.

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.

Severe Punishment and Confinement

  1. 1

    The person’s limbs are cut off and torn apart by elephants.

  2. 2

    He is hurled down from hilltops.

  3. 3

    He is also held captive in water or in a cave, unable to escape these conditions.

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. kṛntanamcutting off
  2. caand
  3. avayavaśaḥlimb by limb
  4. gaja-ādibhyaḥby elephants and so on
  5. bhidāpanamtearing
  6. pātanamhurling down
  7. giriof hills
  8. śṛṅgebhyaḥfrom the tops
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

How might remembering the loss of freedom described here affect the choices I freely make today?

Practice

Before one deliberate choice today, pause and consider whether it may lead to suffering.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySevere Punishment and ConfinementThis 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 3.30.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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