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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
3.30.323.30.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.33

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kapilasince 3.30.29inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

केवलेन ह्यधर्मेण कुटुम्बभरणोत्सुक: ।

याति जीवोऽन्धतामिस्रं चरमं तमस: पदम् ॥ ३३ ॥

kevalena hy adharmeṇa

kuṭumba-bharaṇotsukaḥ

yāti jīvo ’ndha-tāmisraṁ

caramaṁ tamasaḥ padam

Translation

Therefore a person who is very eager to maintain his family and kinsmen simply by black methods certainly goes to the darkest region of hell, which is known as Andha-tāmisra.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Maintain Family Through Honest Work

  1. 1

    Maintaining a family is a householder’s duty, but livelihood should follow the methods prescribed in scripture. Family responsibility does not justify unrighteous earnings.

  2. 2

    One should work honestly according to one’s qualifications. Claiming qualifications one does not possess, including spiritual qualifications, is cheating the public.

  3. 3

    For those advancing in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, livelihood must be very fair and uncomplicated. There is no objection to family life supported by honest means, but earning through irreligious methods leads to Andha-tāmisra.

Key points from the purport
  • Maintaining one’s family is certainly the duty of a householder, but one should be eager to earn his livelihood by the prescribed method, as stated in the scriptures.
  • One should not earn by such unfair means.
  • Otherwise, if one maintains his family by prescribed methods and honest means, there is no objection to one’s being a family man.

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. kevalenasimply
  2. hicertainly
  3. adharmeṇaby irreligious activities
  4. kuṭumbafamily
  5. bharaṇato maintain
  6. utsukaḥeager
  7. yātigoes
  8. jīvaḥa person
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “householder’s”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “duty”

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

Are my ways of earning honest and suited to my actual qualifications?

Practice

Review one claim you make about your work or qualifications, and correct it if it is misleading.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMaintain Family Through Honest WorkThis 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 3.30.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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