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
3.32.63.32.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.32.7

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

सूर्यद्वारेण ते यान्ति पुरुषं विश्वतोमुखम् ।

परावरेशं प्रकृतिमस्योत्पत्त्यन्तभावनम् ॥ ७ ॥

sūrya-dvāreṇa te yānti

puruṣaṁ viśvato-mukham

parāvareśaṁ prakṛtim

asyotpatty-anta-bhāvanam

Translation

Through the path of illumination, such liberated persons approach the complete Personality of Godhead, who is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and is the supreme cause of their manifestation and dissolution.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Is the Illuminated Path

  1. 1

    The illuminated path is devotional service. Following it frees one from the contamination of material nature’s modes and leads to the kingdom of the all-perfect Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    All other living entities are very small compared with the Supreme Lord. He is the supreme eternal and the proprietor of both the material and spiritual worlds.

  3. 3

    Material nature supplies the ingredients of creation, but it acts through the Lord’s energy and glance. The Lord Himself, not matter alone, is the cause of manifestation.

Key points from the purport
  • The words puruṣaṁ viśvato-mukham mean the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is all-perfect.
  • He is the proprietor of the material and spiritual worlds and the supreme cause of manifestation.
  • The material energy is also His energy; just as the combination of father and mother is the cause of childbirth, so the combination of the material energy and the glance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of the manifestation of the material world.

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. sūrya-dvāreṇathrough the path of illumination
  2. tethey
  3. yāntiapproach
  4. puruṣamthe Personality of Godhead
  5. viśvataḥ-mukhamwhose face is turned everywhere
  6. para-avara-īśamthe proprietor of the spiritual and material worlds
  7. prakṛtimthe material cause
  8. asyaof the world
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.32

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “contamination”

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 does recognizing the Lord as the supreme proprietor shape my desire to serve Him?

Practice

Read the translation once more today, then offer a brief prayer to follow the illuminated path of devotional service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Is the Illuminated PathThis 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 3.32.7? 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