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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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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
3.4.313.4.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.4.32

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 3.4.29inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एवं त्रिलोकगुरुणा सन्दिष्ट: शब्दयोनिना ।

बदर्याश्रममासाद्य हरिमीजे समाधिना ॥ ३२ ॥

evaṁ tri-loka-guruṇā

sandiṣṭaḥ śabda-yoninā

badaryāśramam āsādya

harim īje samādhinā

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī informed the King that Uddhava, being thus instructed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the source of all Vedic knowledge and the spiritual master of the three worlds, reached the pilgrimage site of Badarikāśrama and engaged himself there in trance to satisfy the Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Learn About Kṛṣṇa Through His Pure Devotees

  1. 1

    Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the spiritual master of the three worlds and the source of all Vedic knowledge. Understanding Him requires His mercy and personal instructions.

  2. 2

    The Lord authorized Uddhava to carry confidential knowledge to Badarikāśrama. There Uddhava engaged himself in trance to satisfy the Lord.

  3. 3

    Confidential knowledge of the Lord is entrusted to pure devotees through loving devotional service. We need the help of such devotees to understand Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord wanted Uddhava to fulfill His mission and disseminate knowledge which He had not spoken even in Bhagavad-gītā.
  • The Lord is undoubtedly the source of all knowledge, and the messages dispatched through Uddhava to Nara-Nārāyaṇa and other sages were also part of the Vedic knowledge, but they were more confidential and could be sent or understood only through such a pure devotee as Uddhava.
  • Since such confidential knowledge was known only to the Lord and Uddhava, it is said that Uddhava was as good as the Lord Himself.

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· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.2.34

The Lord wanted Uddhava to fulfill His mission and disseminate knowledge which He had not spoken even in Bhagavad-gītā.”

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. tri-lokathree worlds
  3. guruṇāby the spiritual master
  4. sandiṣṭaḥbeing perfectly taught
  5. śabda-yonināby one who is the source of all Vedic knowledge
  6. badaryāśramamin the pilgrimage site of Badarikāśrama
  7. āsādyareaching
  8. harimunto the Lord
  9. ījesatisfied
  10. samādhināby trance
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 3.4

    In this verse: “king”

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

Am I seeking to understand Kṛṣṇa through His devotees, with the desire to satisfy Him?

Practice

Read a short passage of Bhagavad-gītā or Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its purport, asking for the Lord’s mercy to understand it.

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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 3.4's connections

Live this todayLearn About Kṛṣṇa Through His Pure DevoteesThis 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 3.4.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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