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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 5 · Chapter 13: Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata
5.13.25.13.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.13.3

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Jaḍa Bharata, who had fully realized Brahmansince 5.13.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitJaḍa Bharata → King Rahūgaṇa

प्रभूतवीरुत्तृणगुल्मगह्वरे

कठोरदंशैर्मशकैरुपद्रुत: ।

क्‍वचित्तु गन्धर्वपुरं प्रपश्यति

क्‍वचित्‍क्‍वचिच्चाशुरयोल्मुकग्रहम् ॥ ३ ॥

prabhūta-vīrut-tṛṇa-gulma-gahvare

kaṭhora-daṁśair maśakair upadrutaḥ

kvacit tu gandharva-puraṁ prapaśyati

kvacit kvacic cāśu-rayolmuka-graham

Translation

In this forest there are dense bowers composed of thickets of bushes, grass and creepers. In these bowers the conditioned soul is always disturbed by cruelly biting mosquitoes [envious people]. Sometimes he sees an imaginary palace in the forest, and sometimes he is bewildered by seeing a fleeting fiend or ghost, which appears like a meteor in the sky.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Homes and Wealth Cannot Give Permanence

  1. 1

    Material household life involves fruitive activity through professions, industries and trade. In these dealings, undesirable people's behavior can disturb us like mosquito bites.

  2. 2

    Even amid these disturbances, one imagines building a grand house and living there permanently. Yet one knows that permanent residence is impossible.

  3. 3

    Gold and money attract those seeking material results, but their appearance is fleeting. The purport compares gold to a fiend that appears briefly like a meteor and then disappears.

Key points from the purport
  • The material household is actually a hole of fruitive activity.
  • In these dealings, one has to meet many undesirable people, and their behavior is compared to the biting of mosquitoes.
  • Gold is compared to a quickly fleeting fiend, which appears like a meteor in the sky.

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

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 13: Further Talks Between King Rahūgaṇa and Jaḍa Bharata

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this forest there is also a black hole, covered by grass, into which one may fall. Coming into the forest and being captivated by so many material attractions, one identifies himself with this material world, society, friendship, love and family.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prabhūtaa very large number
  2. vīrutof creepers
  3. tṛṇaof varieties of grass
  4. gulmaof thickets
  5. gahvarein bowers
  6. kaṭhoracruel
  7. daṁśaiḥby bites
  8. maśakaiḥby mosquitoes
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.13

    In this verse: “household”, “material”

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 expecting a home or financial success to give me permanent security?

Practice

When thinking about one possession today, remind yourself that neither it nor your enjoyment of it is permanent.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHomes and Wealth Cannot Give PermanenceThis 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 5.13.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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