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Canto 11 · General History · 31 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 11 · Chapter 1: The Curse upon the Yadu Dynasty
11.1.911.1.11-12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.1.10

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.1.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच

बिभ्रद् वपु: सकलसुन्दरसन्निवेशं

कर्माचरन् भुवि सुमङ्गलमाप्तकाम: ।

आस्थाय धाम रममाण उदारकीर्ति:

संहर्तुमैच्छत कुलं स्थितकृत्यशेष: ॥ १० ॥

śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca

bibhrad vapuḥ sakala-sundara-sanniveśaṁ

karmācaran bhuvi su-maṅgalam āpta-kāmaḥ

āsthāya dhāma ramamāṇa udāra-kīṛtiḥ

saṁhartum aicchata kulaṁ sthita-kṛtya-śeṣaḥ

Translation

Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: The Lord, who bore His body as the amalgamation of everything beautiful, dutifully executed the most auspicious activities while on the earth, although He was, in fact, without any endeavor already satisfied in all desires. Residing in His abode and enjoying life, the Lord, whose glorification is in itself magnanimous, now wanted to annihilate His dynasty, as there still remained some small part of His duty to be carried out.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Personally Arranges His Dynasty’s Withdrawal

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is always self-satisfied, yet He performs auspicious pastimes. Having completed His mission perfectly, He desired to return to His transcendental abode with His associates.

  2. 2

    The Lord Himself arranged the curse through the brāhmaṇas. His arrangement returned the demigods and His Viṣṇu expansions to their respective abodes and removed His eternal associates from worldly vision.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead; ordinary living beings must not be considered equal to Him. Family connection alone does not establish devotion: love for Him and His devotees is essential.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the Lord personally arranged for the Yadu dynasty to be cursed by the brāhmaṇas.
  • Persons inclined toward this illusory conception of life would undoubtedly consider the members of the Yadu dynasty equal in all respects to Kṛṣṇa and worship the future descendants of Kṛṣṇa’s family as being equal to Kṛṣṇa Himself.
  • The purpose of the destruction of the Yadu dynasty was to eradicate the false logic of the Māyāvādīs who desire to see everything as one in all respects and who therefore improperly reason that the enemies of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees can be His intimate family members.

The purport'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

Foreboding → Devotional urgency. Uddhava realizes that Kṛṣṇa's visible association is nearing an end.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 11: The Yadu curse, the nine Yogendras and farewell signs. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Curse upon the Yadu Dynasty

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Lord desired to bring about the destruction of the Yadu dynasty so that He could completely wind up His pastimes on the earth and go back to His own abode. Using the pretense of a curse by an assembly of brāhmaṇas, He withdrew His entire dynasty from the surface of the earth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bādarāyaṇiḥŚukadeva Gosvāmī, the son of Bādarāyaṇa
  2. uvācasaid
  3. bibhratbearing
  4. vapuḥa divine body
  5. sakalaof all
  6. sundarabeautiful things
  7. sanniveśamthe amalgamation
  8. karmaactivities
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “devotion”, “devotees”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “glorification”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “duty”

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

Do I value genuine devotion to Kṛṣṇa more than family connection or religious status?

Practice

Take a quiet minute to remember Kṛṣṇa’s self-satisfaction and express your wish to serve Him and respect His devotees.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.1's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Personally Arranges His Dynasty’s WithdrawalThis 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 11.1.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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