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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
3.5.253.5.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.26

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.5.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

कालवृत्त्या तु मायायां गुणमय्यामधोक्षज: ।

पुरुषेणात्मभूतेन वीर्यमाधत्त वीर्यवान् ॥ २६ ॥

kāla-vṛttyā tu māyāyāṁ

guṇa-mayyām adhokṣajaḥ

puruṣeṇātma-bhūtena

vīryam ādhatta vīryavān

Translation

The Supreme Living Being in His feature as the transcendental puruṣa incarnation, who is the Lord’s plenary expansion, impregnates the material nature of three modes, and thus by the influence of eternal time the living entities appear.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Living Beings Come From the Lord

  1. 1

    Material nature cannot produce living entities independently. Kāraṇārṇavaśāyī Viṣṇu supplies them simply by His glance over her.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s action should not be understood as ordinary sexual activity. He is all-potent, and every part of His transcendental body can perform every function.

  3. 3

    Living entities are spiritual, not products of matter, and cannot find true happiness apart from spiritual life with the Lord. The Vedic process reminds them of this forgotten condition.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, mother material nature cannot produce any living entity from her material elements unless and until she is impregnated with living entities by the Lord Himself.
  • When the cosmic creation is manifested, the living entities are directly supplied from the Lord; they are never products of material nature.
  • The Lord is described here as vīryavān, or the greatest potent being, because He impregnates material nature with innumerable living entities who are conditioned from time immemorial.

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 3.5.26 quotesBG 14.3

In Bhagavad-gītā (14.3) also, the same principle is confirmed: mama yonir mahad-brahma tasmin garbhaṁ dadhāmy aham.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.275

This is a quotation from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.5.26).

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

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. kālathe eternal time
  2. vṛttyāby the influence of
  3. tubut
  4. māyāyāmin the external energy
  5. guṇa-mayyāmin the qualitative modes of nature
  6. adhokṣajaḥthe Transcendence
  7. puruṣeṇaby the puruṣa incarnation
  8. ātma-bhūtenawho is the plenary expansion of the Lord
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.5

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where am I seeking happiness while forgetting my spiritual nature and relationship with the Lord?

Practice

Set aside five minutes of material enjoyment today for attentive spiritual study.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLiving Beings Come From the LordThis 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 3.5.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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