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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 6: Creation of the Universal Form
3.6.173.6.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.18

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.6.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्वचमस्य विनिर्भिन्नां विविशुर्धिष्ण्यमोषधी: ।

अंशेन रोमभि: कण्डूं यैरसौ प्रतिपद्यते ॥ १८ ॥

tvacam asya vinirbhinnāṁ

viviśur dhiṣṇyam oṣadhīḥ

aṁśena romabhiḥ kaṇḍūṁ

yair asau pratipadyate

Translation

When there was a separate manifestation of skin, the controlling deities of sensations and their different parts entered into it, and thus the living entities feel itching and happiness due to touch.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Skin and Hairs Have Distinct Sensations

  1. 1

    When skin separately manifested, the controlling deities of sensations entered it. Living entities thus experience itching and happiness from touch.

  2. 2

    Touch and itching are two principal items of sense perception connected with the skin and bodily hairs. Touch is the skin's object of perception, while itching is that of the hairs.

  3. 3

    According to Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī, air passing within the body controls touch. Oṣadhya is the controlling deity of the bodily hairs.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrī Viśvanātha Cakravartī, the controlling deity of touch is the air passing within the body, and the controlling deity of the hairs on the body is Oṣadhya.
  • For the skin the object of perception is touch, and for the hairs on the body the object of perception is itching.

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 6: Creation of the Universal Form

The Lord enters the material elements, manifesting the universal form with its senses, deities, and social orders.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.6
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvacamskin
  2. asyaof the gigantic form
  3. vinirbhinnāmbeing separately manifested
  4. viviśuḥentered
  5. dhiṣṇyamthe controlling deity
  6. oṣadhīḥsensations
  7. aṁśenawith parts
  8. romabhiḥthrough the hairs on the body
3

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

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

How does this account help me see bodily sensations as dependent on arrangements beyond my own control?

Practice

Notice one ordinary sensation of touch today and recall the distinction between touch and itching.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySkin and Hairs Have Distinct SensationsThis 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 3.6.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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