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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 4: Vidura Approaches Maitreya
3.4.153.4.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.4.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 3.4.14inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitUddhava → Vidura

कर्माण्यनीहस्य भवोऽभवस्य ते

दुर्गाश्रयोऽथारिभयात्पलायनम् ।

कालात्मनो यत्प्रमदायुताश्रम:

स्वात्मन्रते: खिद्यति धीर्विदामिह ॥ १६ ॥

karmāṇy anīhasya bhavo ’bhavasya te

durgāśrayo ’thāri-bhayāt palāyanam

kālātmano yat pramadā-yutāśramaḥ

svātman-rateḥ khidyati dhīr vidām iha

Translation

My Lord, even the learned sages become disturbed in their intelligence when they see that Your Greatness engages in fruitive work although You are free from all desires, that You take birth although You are unborn, that You flee out of fear of the enemy and take shelter in a fort although You are the controller of invincible time, and that You enjoy householder life surrounded by many women although You enjoy in Your Self.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Activities Are Transcendental

  1. 1

    The Lord’s pastimes can appear contradictory: He takes birth although unborn and acts although free from desire. Such appearances can bewilder even learned scholars.

  2. 2

    The solution is that the Lord has nothing to do with anything mundane. The Personality of Godhead is the Supreme Brahman, full of transcendental activities.

  3. 3

    Devotees do not need complete knowledge of the Lord to find satisfaction. Hearing and chanting about His transcendental pastimes gives them transcendental bliss.

Key points from the purport
  • But some of the pastimes of the Lord appear contradictory, even to such pure devotees, and thus Uddhava asked the Lord about some of the contradictory incidents in His pastimes.
  • The Lord is the Supreme Brahman, the Absolute Truth, the Personality of Godhead appearing like a man, but Uddhava had doubts whether He could have so many transcendental activities.
  • The Lord Himself also declares in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), “Even the great sages and demigods can know hardly anything about My activities and transcendental potencies.”

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 3.4.16 quotesBG 10.2

The Lord Himself also declares in Bhagavad-gītā (10.2), “Even the great sages and demigods can know hardly anything about My activities and transcendental potencies.”

The purport of SB 3.4.16 quotesSB 1.9.16

The right explanation of the Lord’s activities is given by Grandfather Bhīṣmadeva as follows:

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Separation → Devotional remembrance. Uddhava's tears and silence make remembrance emotionally immediate.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 3: Vidura meets Uddhava and hears of Kṛṣṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: Vidura Approaches Maitreya

Uddhava recalls the Lord’s instructions and directs Vidura to receive transcendental knowledge from Maitreya.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. karmāṇiactivities
  2. anīhasyaof one who has no desire
  3. bhavaḥbirth
  4. abhavasyaof one who is never born
  5. teyour
  6. durga-āśrayaḥtaking shelter of the fort
  7. athathereafter
  8. ari-bhayātout of fear of the enemies
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “householder”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “free from”

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

Can I hear about the Lord with devotion even when I do not fully understand His activities?

Practice

Read one example of the Lord’s activities from this verse and remember that His activities are transcendental, not mundane.

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.

The purport quotesSB 1.9.16

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.4's connections

Live this todayThe Lord’s Activities Are TranscendentalThis 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 3.4.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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