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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
3.6.343.6.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.35

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
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

एतत्क्षत्तर्भगवतो दैवकर्मात्मरूपिण: ।

क: श्रद्दध्यादुपाकर्तुं योगमायाबलोदयम् ॥ ३५ ॥

etat kṣattar bhagavato

daiva-karmātma-rūpiṇaḥ

kaḥ śraddadhyād upākartuṁ

yoga-māyā-balodayam

Translation

O Vidura, who can estimate or measure the transcendental time, work and potency of the gigantic form manifested by the internal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear Humbly and Serve the Unlimited Lord

  1. 1

    The Lord’s gigantic form is manifested by His internal potency, yoga-māyā. No one can fully measure this vast exhibition of His power.

  2. 2

    Arjuna received special eyes to see the viśva-rūpa, yet he could not find its beginning, middle, or end. Limited experience and mental speculation cannot measure the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    The best path is to become a calm, submissive devotee. By hearing about the Lord from a bona fide spiritual master, one learns to serve Him in transcendental loving service.

Key points from the purport
  • The froggish philosophers may go on with their mental speculations on the subject matter of the virāṭ, the gigantic form exhibited by the yoga-māyā internal potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but factually no one can measure such a vast exhibition.
  • Since Arjuna was unable to estimate the length and breadth of the potency of the Lord, who else would be able to do so?
  • The best path is to become a cool-headed, submissive devotee of the Lord, try to hear about the Lord from the bona fide spiritual master, and thus serve the Lord in transcendental loving service, as suggested in the previous 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· 1

The purport of SB 3.6.35 quotesBG 11.16

In Bhagavad-gītā (11.16) Arjuna, the recognized devotee of the Lord, says: “O my Lord, O gigantic viśva-rūpa form, O master of the universe, I see innumerable hands, bodies, mouths and eyes in all directions, and they are all unlimited.

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etatthis
  2. kṣattaḥO Vidura
  3. bhagavataḥof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. daiva-karma-ātma-rūpiṇaḥof the gigantic form of transcendental work, time and nature
  5. kaḥwho else
  6. śraddadhyātcan aspire
  7. upākartummeasure in totality
  8. yoga-māyāinternal potency
  9. bala-udayammanifested by the strength of
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 can awareness of my limited understanding help me hear about the Lord more humbly?

Practice

Spend five minutes attentively rereading this purport, setting aside the urge to measure the Lord by your own experience.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Humbly and Serve the Unlimited 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.

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