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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
3.31.223.31.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.23

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kapilasince 3.31.22inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

तेनावसृष्ट: सहसा कृत्वावाक्शिर आतुर: ।

विनिष्क्रामति कृच्छ्रेण निरुच्छ्‌वासो हतस्मृति: ॥ २३ ॥

tenāvasṛṣṭaḥ sahasā

kṛtvāvāk śira āturaḥ

viniṣkrāmati kṛcchreṇa

nirucchvāso hata-smṛtiḥ

Translation

Pushed downward all of a sudden by the wind, the child comes out with great trouble, head downward, breathless and deprived of memory due to severe agony.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Consider the Suffering Inherent in Birth

  1. 1

    The child is suddenly pushed out, head downward, with great difficulty. The verse describes him as breathless and deprived of memory through severe agony.

  2. 2

    The purport emphasizes that birth itself involves suffering. After the difficult condition within the womb, the child is forcibly pushed out.

  3. 3

    A person serious about spiritual advancement should consider birth, death, disease and old age. Material progress cannot stop these four sufferings inherent in material existence.

Key points from the purport
  • When the child comes out of the abdomen through the narrow passage, due to pressure there the breathing system completely stops, and due to agony the child loses his memory.
  • Sometimes the trouble is so severe that the child comes out dead or almost dead.
  • The child remains for ten months in that horrible condition within the abdomen, and at the end of ten months he is forcibly pushed out.

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. tenaby that wind
  2. avasṛṣṭaḥpushed downward
  3. sahasāsuddenly
  4. kṛtvāturned
  5. avākdownward
  6. śiraḥhis head
  7. āturaḥsuffering
  8. viniṣkrāmatihe comes out
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “child”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “suffering”

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 remembering these four sufferings affect my priorities?

Practice

Spend one minute reflecting on birth, death, disease and old age, and your wish to advance in spiritual consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayConsider the Suffering Inherent in BirthThis 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 3.31.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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