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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
3.31.343.31.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.35

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

न तथास्य भवेन्मोहो बन्धश्चान्यप्रसङ्गत: ।

योषित्सङ्गाद्यथा पुंसो यथा तत्सङ्गिसङ्गत: ॥ ३५ ॥

na tathāsya bhaven moho

bandhaś cānya-prasaṅgataḥ

yoṣit-saṅgād yathā puṁso

yathā tat-saṅgi-saṅgataḥ

Translation

The infatuation and bondage which accrue to a man from attachment to any other object is not as complete as that resulting from attachment to a woman or to the fellowship of men who are fond of women.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Attachment Deepens Through Like-Minded Company

  1. 1

    The verse describes a man’s attachment to women as a particularly strong cause of infatuation and material bondage.

  2. 2

    This attachment grows not only through direct association but also through the company of men who are strongly attached to women.

  3. 3

    The purport describes Vedic arrangements for carefully regulating such association. Householder life allows it under restricted conditions, while the other three orders prohibit it.

Key points from the purport
  • Attachment to women is so contaminating that one becomes attached to the condition of material life not only by the association of women but by the contaminated association of persons who are too attached to them.
  • In Kali-yuga, association with women is very strong.
  • In every step of life, there is association with women.

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. nanot
  2. tathāin that manner
  3. asyaof this man
  4. bhavetmay arise
  5. mohaḥinfatuation
  6. bandhaḥbondage
  7. caand
  8. anya-prasaṅgataḥfrom attachment to any other object
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attachment”, “householder”, “material”

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 the company I keep strengthen attachments that distract me from spiritual understanding?

Practice

Step away today from one conversation or advertisement that feeds sexual attraction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAttachment Deepens Through Like-Minded CompanyThis 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 3.31.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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