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 32: Entanglement in Fruitive Activities
3.32.273.32.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.32.28

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Personality of Godheadsince 3.32.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

ज्ञानमेकं पराचीनैरिन्द्रियैर्ब्रह्म निर्गुणम् ।

अवभात्यर्थरूपेण भ्रान्त्या शब्दादिधर्मिणा ॥ २८ ॥

jñānam ekaṁ parācīnair

indriyair brahma nirguṇam

avabhāty artha-rūpeṇa

bhrāntyā śabdādi-dharmiṇā

Translation

Those who are averse to the Transcendence realize the Supreme Absolute Truth differently through speculative sense perception, and therefore, because of mistaken speculation, everything appears to them to be relative.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear About Kṛṣṇa Beyond Imperfect Perception

  1. 1

    The varied manifestations of creation are displays of the Supreme Lord’s energies, not false appearances. Imperfect sensory perception does not reveal their full truth.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He must be understood through His own words and authorized scriptures, not material speculation.

  3. 3

    Purified knowledge reveals the living entity as an eternal servitor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Awakening Kṛṣṇa consciousness frees one from the entanglement of repeated birth and death.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead, is one, and He is spread everywhere by His impersonal feature.
  • Therefore sensory knowledge is divided in different categories, although actually everything is one as a manifestation of the energy of the Supreme Lord.
  • In this verse it is clearly said that those who are averse to the Supreme Personality of Godhead speculate with their imperfect senses about the nature of the Absolute Truth.

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 32: Entanglement in Fruitive Activities

Kapila contrasts temporary material rewards with the knowledge and detachment gained through devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.32
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jñānamknowledge
  2. ekamone
  3. parācīnaiḥaverse
  4. indriyaiḥby the senses
  5. brahmathe Supreme Absolute Truth
  6. nirguṇambeyond the material modes
  7. avabhātiappears
  8. artha-rūpeṇain the form of various objects
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.32

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “knowledge”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.32

    In this verse: “purified”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.32

    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

Where might you be relying on personal impressions rather than authorized knowledge about Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Reread the passage describing Kṛṣṇa’s eternal, blissful, spiritual body, and reflect on what your senses alone cannot reveal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear About Kṛṣṇa Beyond Imperfect PerceptionThis 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 3.32.28? 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