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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
3.30.73.30.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.8

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

आक्षिप्तात्मेन्द्रिय: स्त्रीणामसतीनां च मायया । रहो रचितयालापै: शिशूनां कलभाषिणाम् ॥ ८ ॥

ākṣiptātmendriyaḥ strīṇām

asatīnāṁ ca māyayā

raho racitayālāpaiḥ

śiśūnāṁ kala-bhāṣiṇām

Translation

He gives heart and senses to a woman, who falsely charms him with māyā. He enjoys solitary embraces and talking with her, and he is enchanted by the sweet words of the small children.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Make Kṛṣṇa Consciousness the Household’s Purpose

  1. 1

    Family life under māyā can imprison the eternal living entity. Attraction to intimate enjoyment and children’s sweet words can make one forget one’s real identity and duty.

  2. 2

    The purport describes both man and woman as seeking sense gratification in illusory love. A gṛhamedhī makes home the center of attraction and repeatedly becomes bound to material family life.

  3. 3

    A gṛhastha lives with family but makes developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness the real purpose of life. The aim is to leave illusion and enter real family life with Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, a conditioned soul is shackled by the charming beauty of a woman, by her solitary embraces and talks of so-called love, and by the sweet words of his small children.
  • For sense gratification a woman creates an illusory love, and the man becomes enchanted by such false love and forgets his real duty.
  • The love of the woman at home and the talk of the children make one a secure prisoner, and thus he cannot leave his home.

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. ākṣiptacharmed
  2. ātmaheart
  3. indriyaḥhis senses
  4. strīṇāmof women
  5. asatīnāmfalse
  6. caand
  7. māyayāby māyā
  8. rahaḥin a solitary place
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: “māyā”, “illusion”, “sense gratification”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “children”, “children’s”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “sweet”, “love”

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

Is my home centered mainly on sense gratification or on developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Reserve five minutes at home today specifically for developing Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMake Kṛṣṇa Consciousness the Household’s PurposeThis 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 3.30.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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