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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 31: Lord Kapila’s Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities
3.31.93.31.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.10

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 3.31.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

आरभ्य सप्तमान्मासाल्लब्धबोधोऽपि वेपित: ।

नैकत्रास्ते सूतिवातैर्विष्ठाभूरिव सोदर: ॥ १० ॥

ārabhya saptamān māsāl

labdha-bodho ’pi vepitaḥ

naikatrāste sūti-vātair

viṣṭhā-bhūr iva sodaraḥ

Translation

Thus endowed with the development of consciousness from the seventh month after his conception, the child is tossed downward by the airs that press the embryo during the weeks preceding delivery. Like the worms born of the same filthy abdominal cavity, he cannot remain in one place.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Extend Concern to All Living Entities

  1. 1

    The translation describes the child’s developed consciousness from the seventh month and his being moved by the airs preceding delivery.

  2. 2

    The purport explains sodara as “born of the same mother.” It describes the child and the worms as brothers because they arise within the same mother.

  3. 3

    Universal brotherhood should not be limited to human beings. The purport concludes that we should be concerned about all living entities.

Key points from the purport
  • At the end of the seventh month the child is moved by the bodily air and does not remain in the same place, for the entire uterine system becomes slackened before delivery.
  • Since the child is born from the womb of the mother and the worms are also born of fermentation within the womb of the same mother, under the circumstances the child and the worms are actually brothers.
  • Therefore, we should be concerned about all living entities.

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 31: Lord Kapila’s Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities

Kapila describes life in the womb, prayer, birth, forgetfulness, and continued bondage through material activities.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ārabhyabeginning
  2. saptamāt māsātfrom the seventh month
  3. labdha-bodhaḥendowed with consciousness
  4. apialthough
  5. vepitaḥtossed
  6. nanot
  7. ekatrain one place
  8. āstehe remains
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “child”, “mother”, “child’s”

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 my concern for others include small or easily overlooked living entities?

Practice

Take care not to harm a small living entity you encounter today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayExtend Concern to All Living EntitiesThis 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 3.31.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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