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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 31: Lord Kapila’s Instructions on the Movements of the Living Entities
3.31.123.31.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

यस्त्वत्र बद्ध इव कर्मभिरावृतात्मा

भूतेन्द्रियाशयमयीमवलम्ब्य मायाम् ।

आस्ते विशुद्धमविकारमखण्डबोधम्

आतप्यमानहृदयेऽवसितं नमामि ॥ १३ ॥

yas tv atra baddha iva karmabhir āvṛtātmā

bhūtendriyāśayamayīm avalambya māyām

āste viśuddham avikāram akhaṇḍa-bodham

ātapyamāna-hṛdaye ’vasitaṁ namāmi

Translation

I, the pure soul, appearing now bound by my activities, am lying in the womb of my mother by the arrangement of māyā. I offer my respectful obeisances unto Him who is also here with me but who is unaffected and changeless. He is unlimited, but He is perceived in the repentant heart. To Him I offer my respectful obeisances.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Repentance Reveals Our Relationship with the Lord

  1. 1

    The individual soul and the Supersoul dwell in the same body as friends. The individual soul suffers, while the Supersoul remains pure, unaffected and changeless.

  2. 2

    The Lord resides in every heart but is realized by the repentant soul. Such repentance includes recognizing the mistake of trying to lord it over material nature.

  3. 3

    True understanding means knowing that Vāsudeva is the master and the individual soul is His servant. With this understanding, the soul surrenders unto Him.

Key points from the purport
  • As stated in the previous verse, the jīva soul says, “I take shelter of the Supreme Lord.”
  • Therefore, constitutionally, the jīva soul is the subordinate servitor of the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead.
  • The individual soul is the servant, and therefore he surrenders unto Him.

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. yaḥwho
  2. tualso
  3. atrahere
  4. baddhaḥbound
  5. ivaas if
  6. karmabhiḥby activities
  7. āvṛtacovered
  8. ātmāthe pure soul
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “māyā”, “material”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “surrenders”

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

Where am I trying to be the master rather than remembering my position as the Lord’s servant?

Practice

Offer respectful obeisances and a simple prayer of repentance for forgetting your relationship with the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRepentance Reveals Our Relationship with the LordThis 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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