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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 9: Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative Energy
3.9.103.9.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.9.11

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 3.9.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

त्वं भक्तियोगपरिभावितहृत्सरोज

आस्से श्रुतेक्षितपथो ननु नाथ पुंसाम् ।

यद्यद्धिया त उरुगाय विभावयन्ति

तत्तद्वपु: प्रणयसे सदनुग्रहाय ॥ ११ ॥

tvaṁ bhakti-yoga-paribhāvita-hṛt-saroja

āsse śrutekṣita-patho nanu nātha puṁsām

yad-yad-dhiyā ta urugāya vibhāvayanti

tat-tad-vapuḥ praṇayase sad-anugrahāya

Translation

O my Lord, Your devotees can see You through the ears by the process of bona fide hearing, and thus their hearts become cleansed, and You take Your seat there. You are so merciful to Your devotees that You manifest Yourself in the particular eternal form of transcendence in which they always think of You.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing Cleanses the Heart for the Lord

  1. 1

    By hearing from bona fide devotees who know Vedic wisdom, the beginner’s heart becomes cleansed of material impurities. Through this hearing, attachment develops to the Lord’s transcendental form.

  2. 2

    Love of Godhead, or prema, develops gradually from faith through association with devotees and regulated devotional service. Every living entity is eternally a servant of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    The Lord mercifully manifests the eternal form in which His pure devotee loves to serve Him. He responds to unconditional devotion, but He never becomes an order supplier for material desires.

Key points from the purport
  • By this bona fide hearing process, the neophyte devotee becomes cleansed of all material rubbish, and thus he becomes attached to one of the many transcendental forms of the Lord, as described in the Vedas.
  • Therefore, every living entity has a particular type of service relationship with the Lord, eternally.
  • This particular attachment is invoked by practice of regulative devotional service to the Lord, and thus the devotee becomes attached to the eternal form of the Lord, exactly like one who is already eternally attached.

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· 3

The purport of SB 3.9.11 quotesBG 4.11

This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.11): ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham.

The purport of SB 3.9.11 quotesBG 7.25

This is confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (7.25): nāhaṁ prakāśaḥ sarvasya yoga-māyā-samāvṛtaḥ.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 3.111

This text from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.9.11) is a prayer by Lord Brahmā to the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa for His blessings in the work of creation.

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 9: Brahmā’s Prayers for Creative Energy

Brahmā prays for mercy and creative power, and the Lord instructs and blesses him.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.9
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamunto You
  2. bhakti-yogain devotional service
  3. paribhāvitabeing one-hundred-percent engaged
  4. hṛtof the heart
  5. sarojeon the lotus
  6. āsseYou reside
  7. śruta-īkṣitaseen through the ear
  8. pathaḥthe path
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 3.9

    In this verse: “devotees”, “devotional service”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 3.9

    In this verse: “merciful”, “mercifully”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 3.9

    In this verse: “cleansed”

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

When I hear about the Lord, am I seeking to serve Him or expecting Him to fulfill my demands?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading this translation and purport attentively, with the wish to deepen your service to the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHearing Cleanses the Heart for the LordOne of the 108 chosen lessons: a practice and a question from this verse

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 3.9.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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