FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 3.23.16

उपर्युपरि विन्यस्तनिलयेषु पृथक्पृथक् । क्षिप्तै: कशिपुभि: कान्तं पर्यङ्कव्यजनासनै: ॥ १६ ॥
upary upari vinyasta-
[upary upari vinyasta-]
nilayeṣu pṛthak pṛthak
[nilayeshu prithak prithak]
kṣiptaiḥ kaśipubhiḥ kāntaṁ
[kshiptaih kashipubhih kaantam]
paryaṅka-vyajanāsanaiḥ
[paryanka-vyajanaasanaih]
upari upari — one upon another vinyasta — placed nilayeṣu — in stories pṛthak pṛthak — separately kṣiptaiḥ — arranged kaśipubhiḥ — with beds kāntam — charming paryaṅka — couches vyajana — fans āsanaiḥ — with seats.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
upary upari vinyasta-
upari upari
one upon another
vinyasta
placed
nilayeṣu pṛthak pṛthak
nilayeṣu
in stories
pṛthak pṛthak
separately
kṣiptaiḥ kaśipubhiḥ kāntaṁ
kṣiptaiḥ
arranged
kaśipubhiḥ
with beds
kāntam
charming
paryaṅka-vyajanāsanaiḥ
paryaṅka
couches
vyajana
fans
āsanaiḥ
with seats.
The palace looked charming, with beds, couches, fans and seats, all separately arranged in seven stories.

It is understood from this verse that the castle had many stories. The words upary upari vinyasta indicate that skyscrapers are not newly invented. Even in those days, millions of years ago, the idea of building many-storied houses was current. They contained not merely one or two rooms, but many different apartments, and each was completely decorated with cushions, bedsteads, sitting places and carpets.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
It appeared charming with separately arranged beds, couches, fans and seats in rooms arranged one above the other. There were rectangular beds with cotton covers.
The Lord is named here as the actual proprietor of everything we manage. The verse asks us to relax our grip on what was never ours and let Him hold it again.
Reflection Questions
  • Where does your idea of God blur into a generic 'higher power' that asks nothing of you?
  • How does relating to a person, rather than a principle, change how you speak in prayer?
📝 My note

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