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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
3.6.293.6.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.30

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
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

मुखतोऽवर्तत ब्रह्म पुरुषस्य कुरूद्वह ।

यस्तून्मुखत्वाद्वर्णानां मुख्योऽभूद्ब्राह्मणो गुरु: ॥ ३० ॥

mukhato ’vartata brahma

puruṣasya kurūdvaha

yas tūnmukhatvād varṇānāṁ

mukhyo ’bhūd brāhmaṇo guruḥ

Translation

O chief of the Kuru dynasty, the Vedic wisdom became manifested from the mouth of the virāṭ, the gigantic form. Those who are inclined to this Vedic knowledge are called brāhmaṇas, and they are the natural teachers and spiritual masters of all the orders of society.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Spiritual Teaching Requires Knowledge of Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Vedic wisdom manifested from the mouth of the Lord’s gigantic form. All social orders belong to His body, so none is degraded because of its position.

  2. 2

    Inclination toward Vedic wisdom, not birth in a particular family, qualifies one as a brāhmaṇa. This qualification is open to anyone from any community or part of the world.

  3. 3

    The perfection of Vedic knowledge is to know the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A spiritual master must be a pure Vaiṣṇava, a devotee well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore, this most important part of the body of the Lord is called the sitting place of the brāhmaṇas, who are inclined to the Vedic wisdom.
  • The Vedas are situated on the mouth of the Lord, and therefore anyone who is inclined to the Vedic wisdom is certainly situated on the mouth of the Lord, and he is a brāhmaṇa.
  • Anyone from any family and from any part of the world may become inclined to the Vedic wisdom, and that will qualify him as a real brāhmaṇa.

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 3.6.30 quotesBG 4.13

As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.13), the four orders of human society developed with the order of the body of the gigantic form.

The purport of SB 3.6.30 quotesCC Madhya 8.128

A person may be a brāhmaṇa or a śūdra or a sannyāsī, but if he happens to be well versed in the science of Kṛṣṇa, then he is fit to become a spiritual master.

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 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. mukhataḥfrom the mouth
  2. avartatagenerated
  3. brahmathe Vedic wisdom
  4. puruṣasyaof the virāṭ-puruṣa, the gigantic form
  5. kuru-udvahaO chief of the Kuru dynasty
  6. yaḥwho are
  7. tudue to
  8. unmukhatvātinclined to
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “wisdom”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

Do I value spiritual teachers for their knowledge of Kṛṣṇa and devotion rather than their family background?

Practice

Spend five minutes studying the teaching here that knowledge of Kṛṣṇa qualifies a spiritual master.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySpiritual Teaching Requires Knowledge of KṛṣṇaThis 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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