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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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
3.31.163.31.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.17

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

देह्यन्यदेहविवरे जठराग्निनासृग्-

विण्मूत्रकूपपतितो भृशतप्तदेह: ।

इच्छन्नितो विवसितुं गणयन्स्वमासान्

निर्वास्यते कृपणधीर्भगवन्कदा नु ॥ १७ ॥

dehy anya-deha-vivare jaṭharāgnināsṛg-

viṇ-mūtra-kūpa-patito bhṛśa-tapta-dehaḥ

icchann ito vivasituṁ gaṇayan sva-māsān

nirvāsyate kṛpaṇa-dhīr bhagavan kadā nu

Translation

Fallen into a pool of blood, stool and urine within the abdomen of his mother, his own body scorched by the mother’s gastric fire, the embodied soul, anxious to get out, counts his months and prays, “O my Lord, when shall I, a wretched soul, be released from this confinement?”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Human Intelligence for Spiritual Realization

  1. 1

    The embodied soul experiences a precarious condition within the womb. Anxious for release, he counts the months and prays to the Lord.

  2. 2

    Human intelligence should be used to escape the cycle of birth and death. Failing to use it for this purpose is like possessing great wealth but leaving it unused.

  3. 3

    A magnanimous person uses intelligence for spiritual realization. Sharing Kṛṣṇa consciousness for the benefit of others is also a generous use of this human gift.

Key points from the purport
  • After seven months the child, who has regained his consciousness, feels the horrible condition of his existence and prays to the Lord.
  • Conditional life is for persons who are of miserly intelligence or who do not properly utilize their intelligence.
  • A person who does not actually utilize his human intelligence to get out of the clutches of māyā, the cycle of birth and death, is accepted as miserly.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dehīthe embodied soul
  2. anya-dehaof another body
  3. vivarein the abdomen
  4. jaṭharaof the stomach
  5. agnināby the fire
  6. asṛkof blood
  7. viṭstool
  8. mūtraand urine
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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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “mother”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “wealth”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “death”

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

Am I using my intelligence only for material concerns, or also for spiritual realization?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today to study a teaching on Kṛṣṇa consciousness with the aim of applying it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Human Intelligence for Spiritual RealizationThis 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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