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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 33: Activities of Kapila

3.33.22 3.33.24-25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.33.23

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.33.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ध्यायती भगवद्रूपं यदाह ध्यानगोचरम् ।

सुत: प्रसन्नवदनं समस्तव्यस्तचिन्तया ॥ २३ ॥

dhyāyatī bhagavad-rūpaṁ

yad āha dhyāna-gocaram

sutaḥ prasanna-vadanaṁ

samasta-vyasta-cintayā

Translation

Thereafter, having heard with great eagerness and in all detail from her son, Kapiladeva, the eternally smiling Personality of Godhead, Devahūti began to meditate constantly upon the Viṣṇu form of the Supreme Lord.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Eager Hearing Leads to Constant Meditation

1
Devahūti heard from her son Kapiladeva with great eagerness and in full detail.
2
Kapiladeva is described as the eternally smiling Personality of Godhead.
3
Following His instruction, Devahūti constantly meditated upon the Viṣṇu form of the Supreme Lord.

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

Chapter 33: Activities of Kapila

Devahūti follows Kapila’s instructions and attains liberation; Kapila travels onward and receives prayers and offerings.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.33

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

dhyāyatīmeditating
bhagavat-rūpamupon the form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
yatwhich
āhaHe instructed
dhyāna-gocaramthe object of meditation
sutaḥher son
prasanna-vadanamwith a smiling face
samastaon the whole
vyastaon the parts
cintayāwith her mind

Key ideas in this verse

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

Mukti · Liberation
What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.33
In this verse: “heard”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How attentive and eager am I when receiving instruction about the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Read this translation slowly, then spend a quiet minute remembering the Viṣṇu form of the Supreme Lord.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEager Hearing Leads to Constant MeditationThis 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 3.33.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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