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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 ›
Canto 9 · Chapter 3: The Marriage of Sukanyā and Cyavana Muni
9.3.159.3.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.3.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Cyavana Munisince 9.3.12inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तान् निरीक्ष्य वरारोहा सरूपान् सूर्यवर्चस: ।

अजानती पतिं साध्वी अश्विनौ शरणं ययौ ॥ १६ ॥

tān nirīkṣya varārohā

sarūpān sūrya-varcasaḥ

ajānatī patiṁ sādhvī

aśvinau śaraṇaṁ yayau

Translation

The chaste and very beautiful Sukanyā could not distinguish her husband from the two Aśvinī-kumāras, for they were equally beautiful. Not understanding who her real husband was, she took shelter of the Aśvinī-kumāras.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Faithfulness Seeks the True Husband

  1. 1

    Sukanyā could not distinguish her husband from the Aśvinī-kumāras because all three were equally beautiful.

  2. 2

    Rather than selecting any one of them, she took shelter of the Aśvinī-kumāras to learn who her actual husband was.

  3. 3

    The purport emphasizes her chastity: she would not accept another man, even one equally handsome and qualified.

Key points from the purport
  • Sukanyā could have selected any one of them as her husband, for one could not distinguish among them, but because she was chaste, she took shelter of the Aśvinī-kumāras so that they could inform her who her actual husband was.
  • A chaste woman will never accept any man other than her husband, even if there be someone equally as handsome and qualified.

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:

After this, Sukanyā could not distinguish her husband. She then surrendered unto the Aśvinī-kumāras, who were very satisfied with her chastity and who therefore introduced her again to her husband.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.3
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tānunto them
  2. nirīkṣyaafter observing
  3. vara-ārohāthat beautiful Sukanyā
  4. sa-rūpānall of them equally beautiful
  5. sūrya-varcasaḥwith a bodily effulgence like the effulgence of the sun
  6. ajānatīnot knowing
  7. patimher husband
  8. sādhvīthat chaste woman
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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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understanding”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 9.3

    In this verse: “shelter”

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 does Sukanyā’s refusal to choose merely by appearance teach me about faithfulness?

Practice

When uncertain about a commitment today, seek clarification rather than making a convenient guess.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFaithfulness Seeks the True HusbandThis 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 9.3.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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