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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 7: Further Inquires by Vidura
3.7.53.7.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.7.6

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vidurasince 3.7.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

भगवानेक एवैष सर्वक्षेत्रेष्ववस्थित: ।

अमुष्य दुर्भगत्वं वा क्लेशो वा कर्मभि: कुत: ॥ ६ ॥

bhagavān eka evaiṣa

sarva-kṣetreṣv avasthitaḥ

amuṣya durbhagatvaṁ vā

kleśo vā karmabhiḥ kutaḥ

Translation

The Lord, as the Supersoul, is situated in every living being’s heart. Why then do the living entities’ activities result in misfortune and misery?

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Ask Why Souls Suffer Despite Divine Presence

  1. 1

    The Lord is present as the Supersoul in every living being’s heart. Vidura asks why living entities nevertheless experience misery and misfortune.

  2. 2

    The body is compared to a fruitful tree with two birds. The individual soul eats its fruit, while the Lord witnesses that soul’s activities.

  3. 3

    The Lord is the father, protector and maintainer of every living entity. Vidura brings the apparent difficulty of suffering before Maitreya for a solution.

Key points from the purport
  • The next question put forward by Vidura to Maitreya is, “Why are the living entities subjected to so many miseries and misfortunes in spite of the Lord’s presence in their hearts as the Supersoul?”
  • The body is considered a fruitful tree, and the living entity and the Lord as Supersoul are like two birds seated in that tree.
  • The Lord is the father and protector of every living entity, and He is known as the bhūta-bhṛt, or the maintainer of the living entities.

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 7: Further Inquires by Vidura

Vidura asks about illusion, the soul, creation, religious duties, and the relationship between teacher and disciple.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.7
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  2. ekaḥalone
  3. eva eṣaḥall these
  4. sarvaall
  5. kṣetreṣuin the living entities
  6. avasthitaḥsituated
  7. amuṣyaof the living entities
  8. durbhagatvammisfortune
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 3.7

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 3.7

    In this verse: “father”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 3.7

    In this verse: “protector”

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

What question about suffering would I like to bring forward for spiritual understanding?

Practice

Write down one honest question about suffering, without rushing to supply an answer.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk Why Souls Suffer Despite Divine PresenceThis 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 3.7.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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