FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.6.3

स्वायम्भुव कया वृत्त्या वर्तितं ते परं वय: । कथं चेदमुदस्राक्षी: काले प्राप्ते कलेवरम् ॥ ३ ॥
svāyambhuva kayā vṛttyā
[svaayambhuva kayaa vrittyaa]
vartitaṁ te paraṁ vayaḥ
[vartitam te param vayah]
kathaṁ cedam udasrākṣīḥ
[katham chedam udasraaksheeh]
kāle prāpte kalevaram
[kaale praapte kalevaram]
Word-for-word
svāyambhuva — O son of Brahmā kayā — under what condition vṛttyā — occupation vartitam — was spent te — you param — after the initiation vayaḥ — duration of life katham — how ca — and idam — this udasrākṣīḥ — did you quit kāle — in due course prāpte — having attained kalevaram — body.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
svāyambhuva kayā vṛttyā
svāyambhuva
O son of Brahmā
kayā
under what condition
vṛttyā
occupation
vartitaṁ te paraṁ vayaḥ
vartitam
was spent
te
you
param
after the initiation
vayaḥ
duration of life
kathaṁ cedam udasrākṣīḥ
katham
how
ca
and
idam
this
udasrākṣīḥ
did you quit
kāle prāpte kalevaram
kāle
in due course
prāpte
having attained
kalevaram
body.
O son of Brahmā, how did you pass your life after initiation, and how did you attain this body, having quit your old one in due course?
Purport

Śrī Nārada Muni in his previous life was just an ordinary maidservant’s son, so how he became so perfectly transformed into the spiritual body of eternal life, bliss and knowledge is certainly important. Śrī Vyāsadeva desired him to disclose the facts for everyone’s satisfaction.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
Son of Brahmā! How did you spend the rest of your life? In what manner did you give up that body as the son of the maidservant at the time of death?
Commentary

Idam kalevaram (this body) refers to the body born from the maidservant. How did you give up that body?

Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Nārada was once an ordinary maidservant's son. His transformation into an eternal spiritual body shows that birth and circumstance do not limit spiritual destiny — sincere practice and association rewrite the story.
Reflection Questions
  • What story about my background do I treat as a ceiling on my spiritual life?
  • Where is my present 'ordinary' situation actually the seedbed of something extraordinary?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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