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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
3.31.73.31.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.31.8

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

उल्बेन संवृतस्तस्मिन्नन्त्रैश्च बहिरावृत: ।

आस्ते कृत्वा शिर: कुक्षौ भुग्नपृष्ठशिरोधर: ॥ ८ ॥

ulbena saṁvṛtas tasminn

antraiś ca bahir āvṛtaḥ

āste kṛtvā śiraḥ kukṣau

bhugna-pṛṣṭha-śirodharaḥ

Translation

Placed within the amnion and covered outside by the intestines, the child remains lying on one side of the abdomen, his head turned towards his belly and his back and neck arched like a bow.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Need for Liberation

  1. 1

    The child is described as confined within the amnion, with his head toward his belly and his back and neck bent like a bow.

  2. 2

    The purport says a grown person could not survive such confinement even briefly. Yet we forget these sufferings and seek happiness without caring for liberation from birth and death.

  3. 3

    The precarious condition of material existence should be plainly discussed. Forgetting it leaves the soul’s entanglement unaddressed.

Key points from the purport
  • If a grown man were put into such a condition as the child within the abdomen, completely entangled in all respects, it would be impossible for him to live even for a few seconds.
  • Unfortunately, we forget all these sufferings and try to be happy in this life, not caring for the liberation of the soul from the entanglement of birth and death.
  • It is an unfortunate civilization in which these matters are not plainly discussed to make people understand the precarious condition of material existence.

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. ulbenaby the amnion
  2. saṁvṛtaḥenclosed
  3. tasminin that place
  4. antraiḥby the intestines
  5. caand
  6. bahiḥoutside
  7. āvṛtaḥcovered
  8. āstehe lies
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”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “sufferings”

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 much attention do I give to liberation compared with temporary comfort?

Practice

Write one sentence about why freedom from birth and death deserves your attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember the Need for LiberationThis 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 3.31.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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