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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
3.6.353.6.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.36

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

तथापि कीर्तयाम्यङ्ग यथामति यथाश्रुतम् ।

कीर्तिं हरे: स्वां सत्कर्तुं गिरमन्याभिधासतीम् ॥ ३६ ॥

tathāpi kīrtayāmy aṅga

yathā-mati yathā-śrutam

kīrtiṁ hareḥ svāṁ sat-kartuṁ

giram anyābhidhāsatīm

Translation

In spite of my inability, whatever I have been able to hear [from the spiritual master] and whatever I could assimilate I am now describing in glorification of the Lord by pure speech, for otherwise my power of speaking would remain unchaste.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purify Speech by Glorifying the Lord

  1. 1

    Purifying the conditioned soul requires purifying consciousness. Consciousness cannot remain inactive, so its activities should be engaged in the Lord’s service.

  2. 2

    Glorification of the Lord comes from hearing submissively from the spiritual master, not from research. Even without perfect ability, one can honestly describe as much as one has heard and understood.

  3. 3

    One should engage body, mind and speech in glorifying the Lord. The devotee becomes one with Him in transcendental interest while remaining eternally His servant.

Key points from the purport
  • One should not become unchaste by stopping the activities of pure consciousness.
  • One must attempt to engage one’s bodily, mental and verbal activities in the transcendental glorification of the Lord; otherwise such activities will remain unchaste and impure.
  • The glories of the Lord as chanted by the Vaiṣṇava sannyāsī are as substantial as the Lord Himself, and thus while glorifying the Lord the devotee becomes one with Him in transcendental interest, although he remains eternally a transcendental servitor.

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. tathātherefore
  2. apialthough it is so
  3. kīrtayāmiI do describe
  4. aṅgaO Vidura
  5. yathāas much as
  6. matiintelligence
  7. yathāas much as
  8. śrutamheard
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “glorification”, “hearing”, “heard”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.6

    In this verse: “purifying”

  • 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

How can I use my speech to glorify the Lord with what I have genuinely heard and understood?

Practice

Speak one sentence glorifying the Lord, drawing only from what you have read here.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPurify Speech by Glorifying the 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.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 3.6.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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