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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
3.5.503.6.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.5.51

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 3.5.39inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

ततो वयं मत्प्रमुखा यदर्थे

बभूविमात्मन् करवाम किं ते ।

त्वं न: स्वचक्षु: परिदेहि शक्त्या

देव क्रियार्थे यदनुग्रहाणाम् ॥ ५१ ॥

tato vayaṁ mat-pramukhā yad-arthe

babhūvimātman karavāma kiṁ te

tvaṁ naḥ sva-cakṣuḥ paridehi śaktyā

deva kriyārthe yad-anugrahāṇām

Translation

O Supreme Self, please give us, who are created in the beginning from the mahat-tattva, the total cosmic energy, Your kind directions on how we shall act. Kindly award us Your perfect knowledge and potency so that we can render You service in the different departments of subsequent creation.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Seek the Lord’s Guidance for Service

  1. 1

    Creation gives conditioned souls a chance for sense gratification, but its deeper purpose is to help them recognize that they are meant for the Supreme Lord’s pleasure. Their true position is to render transcendental loving service to Him.

  2. 2

    The demigods ask the Lord for intelligence and power to carry out their entrusted work. No one can act unless enlightened and empowered by the Lord, who helps sincere devotees engaged in His service.

  3. 3

    A conditioned soul can serve the Lord under the guidance of an expert spiritual master and gradually become free from material entanglement. Pure devotees have no desire to lord it over material energy; they desire only to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord creates this material world and impregnates the material energy with the living entities who will act in the material world.
  • The demigods are amongst the conditioned souls who have developed this pure consciousness of service to the Lord but who at the same time continue to desire to lord it over the material energy.
  • Therefore any living entity who desires a position in the material world may desire so in the service of the Lord and may seek power and intelligence from the Lord, as exemplified by the demigods in this particular verse.

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 3.5.51 quotesBG 15.15

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca.

The purport of SB 3.5.51 quotesBG 2.41

The spiritual master is the manifested representative of the Lord, and anyone who puts himself under the guidance of a spiritual master and acts accordingly is said to be acting in terms of buddhi-yoga, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.41): Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Third Canto, Fifth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Vidura’s Talks with Maitreya.”

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. tataḥtherefore
  2. vayamall of us
  3. mat-pramukhāḥcoming from the total cosmos, the mahat-tattva
  4. yat-arthefor the purpose of which
  5. babhūvimacreated
  6. ātmanO Supreme Self
  7. karavāmashall do
  8. kimwhat
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “kindly”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could I approach one responsibility as service to the Lord rather than an opportunity for my own enjoyment or control?

Practice

Before beginning one responsibility today, offer a brief prayer asking the Lord for the intelligence and strength to do it in His service.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeek the Lord’s Guidance for ServiceThis 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 3.5.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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