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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
3.31.43.31.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.5

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

मातुर्जग्धान्नपानाद्यैरेधद्धातुरसम्मते ।

शेते विण्मूत्रयोर्गर्ते स जन्तुर्जन्तुसम्भवे ॥ ५ ॥

mātur jagdhānna-pānādyair

edhad-dhātur asammate

śete viṇ-mūtrayor garte

sa jantur jantu-sambhave

Translation

Deriving its nutrition from the food and drink taken by the mother, the fetus grows and remains in that abominable residence of stools and urine, which is the breeding place of all kinds of worms.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Care for the Child Is Parents’ Duty

  1. 1

    The child depends completely on the mother’s assimilated food and grows day by day. The purport describes the connecting umbilical cord as āpyāyanī.

  2. 2

    The purport presents Vedic precautions during pregnancy as care for the child’s delicate, newly developing body. It also emphasizes the importance of the garbhādhāna ceremony and other prescribed processes.

  3. 3

    Taking care of the child is the primary duty of the parents. Such care helps bring peace and prosperity to society, the country and the human race.

Key points from the purport
  • Since the child depends completely on the assimilated foodstuff of the mother, during pregnancy there are restrictions on the food taken by the mother.
  • Restrictions and precautions to be taken by the pregnant mother, as enunciated in the smṛti scriptures of Vedic literature, are very useful.
  • We can understand from the Vedic literature how much care is taken to beget a nice child in society.

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. mātuḥof the mother
  2. jagdhataken
  3. anna-pānaby the food and drink
  4. ādyaiḥand so on
  5. edhatincreasing
  6. dhātuḥthe ingredients of his body
  7. asammateabominable
  8. śeteremains
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: “mother”, “mother’s”, “child”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “duty”

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 can I better appreciate the responsibility involved in caring for a dependent child?

Practice

Offer one small practical help to a parent caring for a child today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCare for the Child Is Parents’ DutyThis 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.

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