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

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 24 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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.3.11

Who is speaking and story frame

कस्यचित् त्वथ कालस्य नासत्यावाश्रमागतौ ।

तौ पूजयित्वा प्रोवाच वयो मे दत्तमीश्वरौ ॥ ११ ॥

kasyacit tv atha kālasya

nāsatyāv āśramāgatau

tau pūjayitvā provāca

vayo me dattam īśvarau

Translation

Thereafter, some time having passed, the Aśvinī-kumāra brothers, the heavenly physicians, happened to come to Cyavana Muni’s āśrama. After offering them respectful obeisances, Cyavana Muni requested them to give him youthful life, for they were able to do so.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Is the Highest Perfection

  1. 1

    Cyavana Muni respectfully welcomed the Aśvinī-kumāras and asked them to restore his youth. These heavenly physicians were expert in Āyur-veda.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that Vedic literature contains knowledge of treatments beyond the achievements of modern medical science. Every department of material science has a perfection to be achieved.

  3. 3

    The highest perfection is to become a devotee of the Lord. To attain this perfection, one should consult Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, the ripe fruit of the Vedic desire tree.

Key points from the purport
  • The heavenly physicians like the Aśvinī-kumāras could give youthful life even to one who was advanced in age.
  • Modern medical science has not yet discovered how to bring a dead body back to life or bring youthful energy to an old body, but from these verses we can understand that such treatment is possible if one is able to take knowledge from the Vedic information.
  • To attain this perfection, one must consult Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is understood to be the ripe fruit of the Vedic desire tree (nigama-kalpa-taror galitaṁ phalam).

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

Change → Acceptance. The instability of worldly identities is a recurring premise.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 9: Dynastic origins and domestic transformations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 3: The Marriage of Sukanyā and Cyavana Muni

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the heavenly physicians the Aśvinī-kumāra brothers once visited Cyavana Muni, the muni requested them to give him back his youth. These two physicians took Cyavana Muni to a particular lake, in which they bathed and regained full youth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kasyacitafter some (time)
  2. tubut
  3. athain this way
  4. kālasyatime having passed
  5. nāsatyauthe two Aśvinī-kumāras
  6. āśramathat place of Cyavana Muni
  7. āgataureached
  8. tauunto those two
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 9.3

    In this verse: “āśrama”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 9.3

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 9.3

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 seeking only bodily improvement, or also the highest perfection of devotion to the Lord?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the intention of nurturing devotion to the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotion Is the Highest PerfectionThis 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 9.3.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.