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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 5: Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya
3.5.133.5.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.14

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.5.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ताञ्छोच्यशोच्यानविदोऽनुशोचे

हरे: कथायां विमुखानघेन ।

क्षिणोति देवोऽनिमिषस्तु येषा-

मायुर्वृथावादगतिस्मृतीनाम् ॥ १४ ॥

tāñ chocya-śocyān avido ’nuśoce

hareḥ kathāyāṁ vimukhān aghena

kṣiṇoti devo ’nimiṣas tu yeṣām

āyur vṛthā-vāda-gati-smṛtīnām

Translation

O sage, persons who because of their sinful activities are averse to the topics of Transcendence and thus ignorant of the purpose of the Mahābhārata [Bhagavad-gītā] are pitied by the pitiable. I also pity them because I see how their duration of life is spoiled by eternal time while they involve themselves in presentations of philosophical speculation, theoretical ultimate goals of life, and different modes of ritual.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Service Is Life’s Highest Goal

  1. 1

    Under ignorance and passion, people either reject God or approach Him as an order supplier. Those with an impersonal understanding may accept bhakti as a means rather than the goal.

  2. 2

    Pure devotees stand above the material modes and recognize the Lord’s name, form, fame and qualities as nondifferent. For them, hearing about Kṛṣṇa is like meeting Him face to face.

  3. 3

    Devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the real mission of human life. Pure devotees feel compassion for those whose precious time is lost in sense enjoyment and mental speculation.

Key points from the purport
  • According to this class of men, who are situated in pure devotional service to the Lord, the highest goal of human life is puruṣārtha, devotional service to the Lord, the real mission of life.
  • The impersonalists, because they engage in mental speculation and have no faith in the Personality of Godhead, have no business hearing the topics of Kṛṣṇa.
  • The pitiable impersonalists pity those who are influenced by the modes of ignorance and passion, but the pure devotees of the Lord take pity on them both because both waste their most valuable time in the human form of life in false pursuits, namely sense enjoyment and mental speculative presentations of different theories and goals of life.

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

Mystery → Cosmic wonder. The origin of the world is revealed through inquiry and divine grace.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 3: Creation and Brahmā's bewilderment. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya

Vidura meets Maitreya, who begins explaining the Lord’s activities and the unfolding of material creation.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.5
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tānall those
  2. śocyapitiable
  3. śocyānof the pitiable
  4. avidaḥignorant
  5. anuśoceI pity
  6. hareḥof the Lord
  7. kathāyāmto the topics of
  8. vimukhānaverse
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.5

    In this verse: “philosophical”, “understanding”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.5

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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.5

    In this verse: “pity”, “compassion”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I treating devotional service as life’s goal, or merely as a way to obtain something else?

Practice

Spend five minutes hearing about Kṛṣṇa today without asking for a material benefit.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Service Is Life’s Highest GoalThis 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.

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