1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
3.31.263.31.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.27

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

तुदन्त्यामत्वचं दंशा मशका मत्कुणादय: ।

रुदन्तं विगतज्ञानं कृमय: कृमिकं यथा ॥ २७ ॥

tudanty āma-tvacaṁ daṁśā

maśakā matkuṇādayaḥ

rudantaṁ vigata-jñānaṁ

kṛmayaḥ kṛmikaṁ yathā

Translation

In his helpless condition, gnats, mosquitoes, bugs and other germs bite the baby, whose skin is tender, just as smaller worms bite a big worm. The child, deprived of his wisdom, cries bitterly.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Carefully Protect Your Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

  1. 1

    Biting insects torment the helpless child’s tender skin, and he cries bitterly. His spiritual knowledge from the womb has already been lost under māyā.

  2. 2

    Disturbing circumstances can cause a person to forget spiritually uplifting knowledge. The child no longer remembers his earlier thoughts about salvation.

  3. 3

    Both children and elderly people should carefully protect their Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Avoiding unfavorable circumstances helps them remember their prime duty.

Key points from the purport
  • The word vigata jñānam means that the spiritual knowledge which the child developed in the abdomen is already lost to the spell of māyā.
  • Owing to various kinds of disturbances and to being out of the abdomen, the child cannot remember what he was thinking of for his salvation.
  • Not only children but also elderly persons should be very careful to protect their sense of Kṛṣṇa consciousness and avoid unfavorable circumstances so that they may not forget their prime duty.

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. tudantithey bite
  2. āma-tvacamthe baby, whose skin is soft
  3. daṁśāḥgnats
  4. maśakāḥmosquitoes
  5. matkuṇabugs
  6. ādayaḥand other creatures
  7. rudantamcrying
  8. vigatadeprived of
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”, “baby”, “child’s”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “wisdom”, “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “māyā”

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

Which circumstances most often make me forget my Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Identify one circumstance that distracts you from Kṛṣṇa, and avoid it during a short period of remembrance today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCarefully Protect Your Kṛṣṇa ConsciousnessThis 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 3.31.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories