Srimad Bhagavatam — Tritiya Skandha, Shloka 27

Vidura’s Questions: How the Unchangeable Lord Relates to Māyā; Bhakti as the Remedy; Blueprint for the Coming Cosmology

Devanagari script

तिर्यङ्‌मानुषदेवानां सरीसृपपतत्‍त्रिणाम् । वद न: सर्गसंव्यूहं गार्भस्वेदद्विजोद्‍‌भिदाम् ॥ २७ ॥

Transliteration

tiryaṅ-mānuṣa-devānāṁ sarīsṛpa-patattriṇām vada naḥ sarga-saṁvyūhaṁ gārbha-sveda-dvijodbhidām

Translation

Please also describe the order of creation and its subdivisions among living beings—animals, humans, the devas, reptiles and birds—as well as those born from the womb, from perspiration, the “twice-born” (birds), and the plants and herbs.

Synonyms

• tiryaṅ-mānuṣa-devānām: of animals, humans, and gods
• tiryaṅ-mānuṣa-devānām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tiryañc (प्रातिपदिक) + mānuṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + deva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (tiryaṅ-mānuṣa-devāḥ), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• sarīsṛpa-patattriṇām: of reptiles and birds
• sarīsṛpa-patattriṇām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarīsṛpa (प्रातिपदिक) + patattrin (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (sarīsṛpa-patattriṇaḥ), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन

• vada: tell/speak
• vada: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vad (वद् धातु)
• Form: लोट्-लकार (Imperative), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन, परस्मैपद

• naḥ: to us/for us
• naḥ: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान)
• Type: Noun
• Root: asmad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: सर्वनाम, षष्ठी/चतुर्थी (Genitive/Dative) बहुवचन-एकादेश (enclitic ‘us/our’)

• sarga-saṁvyūham: the arrangement of creation
• sarga-saṁvyūham: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sarga (प्रातिपदिक) + saṁvyūha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: षष्ठी/कर्मधारय-तत्पुरुष (sargasya saṁvyūhaḥ / sarga-saṁvyūhaḥ), पुल्लिङ्ग, द्वितीया (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

• gārbha-sveda-dvija-udbhidām: of the womb-born, sweat-born, egg-born, and sprout-born
• gārbha-sveda-dvija-udbhidām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gārbha (प्रातिपदिक) + sveda (प्रातिपदिक) + dvija (प्रातिपदिक) + udbhij (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: समास: इतरेतर-द्वन्द्व (gārbha-sveda-dvija-udbhijaḥ), पुल्लिङ्ग, षष्ठी (6th/Genitive), बहुवचन; गार्भाः (jarāyuja), स्वेदजाः, द्विजाः (aṇḍaja), उद्भिजाः (sprouting)

Characters & Entities

• Vidura
• Maitreya

FAQs

What does the Srimad Bhagavatam say about the four kinds of birth (gārbha, sveda, dvija, udbhijja)?

This verse asks for the Lord’s creation to be explained in terms of four categories of birth: from the womb (gārbha), from moisture/perspiration (sveda), from eggs (dvija), and by sprouting from the earth (udbhijja, plants).

Why did Vidura ask Maitreya about animals, humans, demigods, birds, reptiles, and plants?

In Canto 3, Vidura seeks a clear, systematic account of creation (sarga). He asks Maitreya to explain how different classes of beings are manifested and organized within the cosmic order governed by the Supreme Lord.

How can the teaching of Bhagavatam 3.7.27 be applied in modern life?

It encourages a devotional, inquiry-based approach: understand life as part of an ordered divine creation, cultivate humility before the complexity of existence, and seek knowledge from authentic spiritual sources rather than speculation.