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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
3.6.373.6.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.6.38

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

आत्मनोऽवसितो वत्स महिमा कविनादिना ।

संवत्सरसहस्रान्ते धिया योगविपक्‍कया ॥ ३८ ॥

ātmano ’vasito vatsa

mahimā kavinādinā

saṁvatsara-sahasrānte

dhiyā yoga-vipakkayā

Translation

O my son, the original poet, Brahmā, after mature meditation for one thousand celestial years, could know only that the glories of the Supreme Soul are inconceivable.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Know the Lord Through Devotional Service

  1. 1

    After one thousand celestial years of mature meditation, Brahmā could know only that the Lord’s glories are inconceivable. Mental speculation cannot measure those unlimited glories.

  2. 2

    Devotees submissively hear the Lord’s glories from bona fide devotees rather than waste time in fruitless speculation. They enjoy the devotional process of hearing and chanting.

  3. 3

    The mahātmās take to devotional service without deviation. If the Lord can be known to some extent, it is through devotional service and no other way.

Key points from the purport
  • And when the devotees, who are to some extent in knowledge of the Supreme Lord, admit that the glories of the Lord are inestimable or inconceivable, the froggish philosophers adversely criticize them.
  • The Lord approves of the devotional activities of the devotees or mahātmās, and He says:
  • Mahātmās are not fond of indulging in mental speculations, but they actually take to the devotional service of the Lord, without the slightest deviation.

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 3.6.38 quotesBG 9.13

nitya-yuktā upāsate. The pure devotees of the Lord take shelter of the parā prakṛti, the internal potency of the Lord called Lakṣmīdevī, Sītādevī, Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī or Śrīmatī Rukmiṇīdevī, and thus they become actual mahātmās, or great souls.

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. ātmanaḥof the Supreme Soul
  2. avasitaḥknown
  3. vatsaO my dear son
  4. mahimāglories
  5. kavināby the poet Brahmā
  6. ādināoriginal
  7. saṁvatsaracelestial years
  8. sahasra-anteat the end of one thousand
  9. dhiyāby intelligence
  10. yoga-vipakkayāby matured meditation
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: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “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

Am I approaching the Lord through humble hearing, or trying to measure Him by my own speculation?

Practice

Reread a short passage of this purport about hearing and chanting, then repeat its teaching aloud with attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 3.6's connections

Live this todayKnow the Lord Through Devotional ServiceThis 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 3.6.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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