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
3.31.33.31.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.4

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

चतुर्भिर्धातव: सप्त पञ्चभि: क्षुत्तृडुद्भव: ।

षड्‌भिर्जरायुणा वीत: कुक्षौ भ्राम्यति दक्षिणे ॥ ४ ॥

caturbhir dhātavaḥ sapta

pañcabhiḥ kṣut-tṛḍ-udbhavaḥ

ṣaḍbhir jarāyuṇā vītaḥ

kukṣau bhrāmyati dakṣiṇe

Translation

Within four months from the date of conception, the seven essential ingredients of the body, namely chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen, come into existence. At the end of five months, hunger and thirst make themselves felt, and at the end of six months, the fetus, enclosed by the amnion, begins to move on the right side of the abdomen.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bodily Ingredients, Needs and Movement Appear

  1. 1

    The translation lists seven bodily ingredients appearing within four months: chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow and semen.

  2. 2

    Hunger and thirst are felt at the end of five months. At six months, the fetus is described as enclosed by the amnion and beginning to move.

  3. 3

    The purport describes the body as completely formed at six months. It states that a male child moves on the right side and a female child on the left.

Key points from the purport
  • When the body of the child is completely formed at the end of six months, the child, if he is male, begins to move on the right side, and if female, she tries to move on the left side.

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. caturbhiḥwithin four months
  2. dhātavaḥingredients
  3. saptaseven
  4. pañcabhiḥwithin five months
  5. kṣut-tṛṭof hunger and thirst
  6. udbhavaḥappearance
  7. ṣaḍbhiḥwithin six months
  8. jarāyuṇāby the amnion
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “child”

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

What does the appearance of hunger and thirst before birth suggest about bodily dependence?

Practice

When you feel hunger or thirst today, briefly reflect on how early bodily needs begin.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBodily Ingredients, Needs and Movement AppearThis 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 3.31.4? 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