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

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Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

11.1.22 11.1.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.1.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.1.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मत्स्यो गृहीतो मत्स्यघ्नैर्जालेनान्यै: सहार्णवे ।

तस्योदरगतं लोहं स शल्ये लुब्धकोऽकरोत् ॥ २३ ॥

matsyo gṛhīto matsya-ghnair

jālenānyaiḥ sahārṇave

tasyodara-gataṁ lohaṁ

sa śalye lubdhako ’karot

Translation

The fish was caught in the ocean along with other fish in a fishermen’s net. The iron lump in the fish’s stomach was taken by the hunter Jarā, who fixed it as an arrowhead at the end of his shaft.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Iron Becomes an Arrowhead

1
The fish was caught in the ocean along with other fish in a fishermen’s net.
2
The hunter Jarā took the iron lump that had been in the fish’s stomach.
3
Jarā fixed the iron lump as an arrowhead at the end of his shaft.

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

Chapter 1: The Curse upon the Yadu Dynasty

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Fishermen caught the fish, and a hunter named Jarā used the iron lump found in its belly to fashion an arrow. Although the Supersoul, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, understood what was happening, He did not wish to do anything to counteract it.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.1