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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
3.30.83.30.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.30.9

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

गृहेषु कूटधर्मेषु दु:खतन्त्रेष्वतन्द्रित: ।

कुर्वन्दु:खप्रतीकारं सुखवन्मन्यते गृही ॥ ९ ॥

gṛheṣu kūṭa-dharmeṣu

duḥkha-tantreṣv atandritaḥ

kurvan duḥkha-pratīkāraṁ

sukhavan manyate gṛhī

Translation

The attached householder remains in his family life, which is full of diplomacy and politics. Always spreading miseries and controlled by acts of sense gratification, he acts just to counteract the reactions of all his miseries, and if he can successfully counteract such miseries, he thinks that he is happy.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Relief From Distress Is Not Lasting Happiness

  1. 1

    The attached householder struggles within family life filled with diplomacy and misery. Successfully counteracting distress is then mistaken for happiness.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes the material world as temporary and full of miseries. What passes for happiness here is relief from the effects of distress.

  3. 3

    Competition and clever management cannot secure lasting happiness. Despite all our intelligence, everything can end in a second by the supreme will.

Key points from the purport
  • In Bhagavad-gītā the Personality of Godhead Himself certifies the material world as an impermanent place that is full of miseries.
  • There is no question of happiness in this material world, either individually or in terms of family, society or country.
  • Therefore, all our attempts to become happy in this material world are simply a delusion offered by māyā.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. gṛheṣuin family life
  2. kūṭa-dharmeṣuinvolving the practice of falsehood
  3. duḥkha-tantreṣuspreading miseries
  4. atandritaḥattentive
  5. kurvandoing
  6. duḥkha-pratīkāramcounteraction of miseries
  7. sukha-vatas happiness
  8. manyatethinks
  9. gṛhīthe householder
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: “attached”, “sense gratification”, “householder”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.30

    In this verse: “distress”

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

What do I call happiness that is actually only temporary relief from distress?

Practice

Notice one moment of relief today and distinguish it from happiness that would truly last.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRelief From Distress Is Not Lasting HappinessThis 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.

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