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
3.31.443.31.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 3.31.45-46

Nirodha· Winding up
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

द्रव्योपलब्धिस्थानस्य द्रव्येक्षायोग्यता यदा ।

तत्पञ्चत्वमहंमानादुत्पत्तिर्द्रव्यदर्शनम् ॥ ४५ ॥

यथाक्ष्णोर्द्रव्यावयवदर्शनायोग्यता यदा ।

तदैव चक्षुषो द्रष्टुर्द्रष्टृत्वायोग्यतानयो: ॥ ४६ ॥

dravyopalabdhi-sthānasya

dravyekṣāyogyatā yadā

tat pañcatvam ahaṁ-mānād

utpattir dravya-darśanam

yathākṣṇor dravyāvayava-

darśanāyogyatā yadā

tadaiva cakṣuṣo draṣṭur

draṣṭṛtvāyogyatānayoḥ

Translation

When the eyes lose their power to see color or form due to morbid affliction of the optic nerve, the sense of sight becomes deadened. The living entity, who is the seer of both the eyes and the sight, loses his power of vision. In the same way, when the physical body, the place where perception of objects occurs, is rendered incapable of perceiving, that is known as death. When one begins to view the physical body as one’s very self, that is called birth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Soul Outlasts Its Bodily Instrument

  1. 1

    The living entity sees through the instrument of sight. When that instrument becomes incapable of functioning, the seer can no longer see through it.

  2. 2

    Similarly, death occurs when the bodily instrument can no longer function, and birth means receiving a new instrument. Bodily changes occur constantly, with the final change called death.

  3. 3

    The living entity itself has neither birth nor death but is eternal. It does not die when the material body is destroyed.

Key points from the purport
  • When one’s instrument of action is broken and cannot function, that is called death.
  • The final change is called death, and acceptance of a new body is called birth.
  • Actually, the living entity has neither birth nor death, but is eternal.

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. dravyaof objects
  2. upalabdhiof perception
  3. sthānasyaof the place
  4. dravyaof objects
  5. īkṣāof perception
  6. ayogyatāincapability
  7. yadāwhen
  8. tatthat
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 3.31

    In this verse: “death”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “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

What changes when I distinguish myself from the bodily instruments I use?

Practice

When looking at an object today, pause and remember: the eyes are the instrument, and the living soul is the seer.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Soul Outlasts Its Bodily InstrumentThis 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 3.31.45-46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.