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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 33: Activities of Kapila
3.33.33.33.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.33.4

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Devahūtisince 3.33.2inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → ViduraLord Kapila → Devahūti

स त्वं भृतो मे जठरेण नाथ

कथं नु यस्योदर एतदासीत् ।

विश्वं युगान्ते वटपत्र एक:

शेते स्म माया-शिशुरङ्‌घ्रिपान: ॥ ४ ॥

sa tvaṁ bhṛto me jaṭhareṇa nātha

kathaṁ nu yasyodara etad āsīt

viśvaṁ yugānte vaṭa-patra ekaḥ

śete sma māyā-śiśur aṅghri-pānaḥ

Translation

As the Supreme Personality of Godhead, You have taken birth from my abdomen. O my Lord, how is that possible for the supreme one, who has in His belly all the cosmic manifestation? The answer is that it is possible, for at the end of the millennium You lie down on a leaf of a banyan tree, and just like a small baby, You lick the toe of Your lotus foot.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord Tastes His Own Sweetness

  1. 1

    At dissolution, the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby on a banyan leaf, floating on the devastating water. His inconceivable power also makes His appearance within Devahūti’s abdomen possible.

  2. 2

    Great sages and devotees devote all their energy and activities to serving the Lord’s lotus feet. By licking His toe, the Lord tastes the nectar for which His devotees aspire.

  3. 3

    Lord Caitanya is Kṛṣṇa Himself, appearing as a devotee to taste His own transcendental sweetness. This is the sweetness tasted by Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, the greatest of all devotees.

Key points from the purport
  • At the time of dissolution the Lord sometimes appears as a small baby lying on a leaf of a banyan tree, floating on the devastating water.
  • Therefore it is not very wonderful that You can lie down in the abdomen of my body.
  • You teach us that those who are very fond of children within this material world and who therefore enter into marriage to enjoy family life with children can also have the Supreme Personality of Godhead as their child, and the most wonderful thing is that the Lord Himself licks His toe.”

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 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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥthat very person
  2. tvamYou
  3. bhṛtaḥtook birth
  4. me jaṭhareṇaby my abdomen
  5. nāthaO my Lord
  6. kathamhow
  7. nuthen
  8. yasyaof whom
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.33

    In this verse: “baby”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.33

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 3.33

    In this verse: “sweetness”

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

What does the devotees’ dedication to the Lord’s lotus feet teach you about the joy of service?

Practice

Take a quiet minute to remember the Lord as a baby on the banyan leaf, licking His toe.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.33's connections

Live this todayThe Lord Tastes His Own SweetnessThis 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 3.33.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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