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

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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 1 · Chapter 11: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Entrance into Dvārakā
1.11.81.11.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.11.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The citizenssince 1.11.6inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यर्ह्यम्बुजाक्षापससार भो भवान्

कुरून् मधून् वाथ सुहृद्दिद‍ृक्षया ।

तत्राब्दकोटिप्रतिम: क्षणो भवेद्

रविं विनाक्ष्णोरिव नस्तवाच्युत ॥ ९ ॥

yarhy ambujākṣāpasasāra bho bhavān

kurūn madhūn vātha suhṛd-didṛkṣayā

tatrābda-koṭi-pratimaḥ kṣaṇo bhaved

raviṁ vinākṣṇor iva nas tavācyuta

Translation

O lotus-eyed Lord, whenever You go away to Mathurā-Vṛndāvana or Hastināpura to meet Your friends and relatives, every moment of Your absence seems like millions of years. O infallible one, at that time our eyes become useless, as if bereft of sun.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Illuminates Our Understanding

  1. 1

    Our material senses are not independently reliable; they work only under certain conditions. Eyes, for example, need light to see.

  2. 2

    Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the primeval Lord and Supreme Truth, is compared to the sun. Without Him, our knowledge is false or partial and covered by illusion.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s light allows devotees to see everything in its true perspective. By His grace, they can understand themselves, the Lord and His energies.

Key points from the purport
  • But in the absence of sunshine, the eyes are useless.
  • Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, being the primeval Lord, the Supreme Truth, is compared to the sun.
  • Therefore, it is necessary that we must always be in the sight of Lord Kṛṣṇa so that we can see both ourselves and the Lord with His different energies.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.78.16

Lord Kṛṣṇa’s journey from Dvārakā to Vraja is confirmed by the following passage of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.11.9): yarhy ambujākṣāpasasāra bho bhavān kurūn madhūn vātha suhṛd-didṛkṣayā/ tatrābda-koṭi-pratimaḥ kṣaṇo bhavet.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Longing → Joy and continuity. Departure and welcome coexist; Parīkṣit embodies continuity of grace.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 1: Kṛṣṇa returns to Dvārakā; Parīkṣit is born. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Entrance into Dvārakā

Dvārakā’s citizens and Kṛṣṇa’s family joyfully welcome Him home.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yarhiwhenever
  2. ambuja-akṣaO lotus-eyed one
  3. apasasāraYou go away
  4. bhooh
  5. bhavānYourself
  6. kurūnthe descendants of King Kuru
  7. madhūnthe inhabitants of Mathurā (Vrajabhūmi)
  8. vāeither
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 1.11

    In this verse: “absence”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.11

    In this verse: “illusion”, “material”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 1.11

    In this verse: “friends”

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

Where might I be relying too confidently on my limited senses and knowledge?

Practice

Before forming one judgment today, pause and remember that true understanding depends on Kṛṣṇa’s light and grace.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Illuminates Our UnderstandingThis 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.

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