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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
3.31.13.31.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.2

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

कललं त्वेकरात्रेण पञ्चरात्रेण बुद्बुदम् ।

दशाहेन तु कर्कन्धू: पेश्यण्डं वा तत: परम् ॥ २ ॥

kalalaṁ tv eka-rātreṇa

pañca-rātreṇa budbudam

daśāhena tu karkandhūḥ

peśy aṇḍaṁ vā tataḥ param

Translation

On the first night, the sperm and ovum mix, and on the fifth night the mixture ferments into a bubble. On the tenth night it develops into a form like a plum, and after that, it gradually turns into a lump of flesh or an egg, as the case may be.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Soul’s Body Develops Gradually

  1. 1

    The translation describes the initial mixture becoming a bubble, then a plumlike form, and later a lump of flesh or an egg.

  2. 2

    The purport describes four sources of bodies: earth, perspiration, eggs and embryos. These are different ways in which the soul’s body develops.

  3. 3

    In birds, the developing form becomes an egg; in animals and human beings, it becomes a lump of flesh.

Key points from the purport
  • The body of the soul develops in four different ways according to its different sources.
  • This verse indicates that after emulsification of the ovum and sperm, the body gradually develops either into a lump of flesh or into an egg, as the case may be.
  • In the case of birds it develops into an egg, and in the case of animals and human beings it develops into a lump of flesh.

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. kalalammixing of the sperm and ovum
  2. tuthen
  3. eka-rātreṇaon the first night
  4. pañca-rātreṇaby the fifth night
  5. budbudama bubble
  6. daśa-ahenain ten days
  7. tuthen
  8. karkandhūḥlike a plum
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

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

How does distinguishing the soul from its developing body affect my understanding of life?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing the soul from the body that gradually develops.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Soul’s Body Develops GraduallyThis 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 3.31.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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