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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
3.6.243.6.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.25

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

आत्मानं चास्य निर्भिन्नमभिमानोऽविशत्पदम् ।

कर्मणांशेन येनासौ कर्तव्यं प्रतिपद्यते ॥ २५ ॥

ātmānaṁ cāsya nirbhinnam

abhimāno ’viśat padam

karmaṇāṁśena yenāsau

kartavyaṁ pratipadyate

Translation

Thereafter the materialistic ego of the gigantic form separately manifested itself, and into it entered Rudra, the controller of false ego, with his own partial activities, by which the living entity transacts his objective actions.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

False Ego Is Not Supreme Identity

  1. 1

    Rudra, an incarnation of Lord Śiva, controls the false ego of materialistic identity. He is an incarnation of the Supreme Lord who controls the mode of ignorance within material nature.

  2. 2

    The activities of false ego are based on the objectives of the body and mind. Most persons conducted by false ego are controlled by Lord Śiva.

  3. 3

    Falsely thinking oneself to be the Supreme Lord is a finer form of ignorance. This egoistic conviction is the conditioned soul's last snare of the illusory energy.

Key points from the purport
  • The false ego of materialistic identity is controlled by the demigod Rudra, an incarnation of Lord Śiva.
  • Rudra is the incarnation of the Supreme Lord who controls the mode of ignorance within material nature.
  • Most persons conducted by the false ego are controlled by Lord Śiva.

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. ātmānamfalse ego
  2. caalso
  3. asyaof the gigantic form
  4. nirbhinnambeing separately manifested
  5. abhimānaḥfalse identification
  6. aviśatentered
  7. padamin position
  8. karmaṇāactivities
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

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “false ego”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “materialistic”

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

Where do I notice my sense of identity becoming absorbed in the aims of the body and mind?

Practice

Write down one bodily or mental aim you strongly identify with, and reflect that such identification is not supreme identity.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFalse Ego Is Not Supreme IdentityThis 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 3.6.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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