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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
3.31.273.31.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.28

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

इत्येवं शैशवं भुक्त्वा दु:खं पौगण्डमेव च ।

अलब्धाभीप्सितोऽज्ञानादिद्धमन्यु: शुचार्पित: ॥ २८ ॥

ity evaṁ śaiśavaṁ bhuktvā

duḥkhaṁ paugaṇḍam eva ca

alabdhābhīpsito ’jñānād

iddha-manyuḥ śucārpitaḥ

Translation

In this way, the child passes through his childhood, suffering different kinds of distress, and attains boyhood. In boyhood also he suffers pain over desires to get things he can never achieve. And thus, due to ignorance, he becomes angry and sorry.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Unfulfilled Demands Bring Anger and Sorrow

  1. 1

    The distress of childhood does not simply end with boyhood. New duties and desires bring further unhappiness.

  2. 2

    A boy may want to play but be required to attend school, study and pass examinations. He may also suffer because desired playthings are beyond his reach.

  3. 3

    Artificial demands create suffering when they remain unsatisfied. Through ignorance, frustrated desire becomes anger and sorrow.

Key points from the purport
  • From birth to the end of five years of age is called childhood.
  • The distresses of childhood are already explained, but when the child attains boyhood he is enrolled in a school which he does not like.
  • Another kind of distress is that he wants to get some things with which to play, but circumstances may be such that he is not able to attain them, and he thus becomes aggrieved and feels pain.

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. iti evamin this way
  2. śaiśavamchildhood
  3. bhuktvāhaving undergone
  4. duḥkhamdistress
  5. paugaṇḍamboyhood
  6. evaeven
  7. caand
  8. alabdhanot achieved
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “suffering”, “distress”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “child”, “childhood”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “duties”

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 unnecessary demand is making me angry or unhappy when it is not fulfilled?

Practice

Choose one unnecessary thing you want today and practice leaving that desire unfulfilled without complaint.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUnfulfilled Demands Bring Anger and SorrowThis 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 3.31.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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