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

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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
11.1.311.1.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.1.4

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.1.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नैवान्यत: परिभवोऽस्य भवेत् कथञ्चिन्

मत्संश्रयस्य विभवोन्नहनस्य नित्यम् ।

अन्त:कलिं यदुकुलस्य विधाय वेणु-

स्तम्बस्य वह्निमिव शान्तिमुपैमि धाम ॥ ४ ॥

naivānyataḥ paribhavo ’sya bhavet kathañcin

mat-saṁśrayasya vibhavonnahanasya nityam

antaḥ kaliṁ yadu-kulasya vidhāya veṇu-

stambasya vahnim iva śāntim upaimi dhāma

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa thought, “No outside force could ever bring about the defeat of this family, the Yadu dynasty, whose members have always been fully surrendered to Me and are unrestricted in their opulence. But if I inspire a quarrel within the dynasty, that quarrel will act just like a fire created from the friction of bamboo in a grove, and then I shall achieve My real purpose and return to My eternal abode.”

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.

Even the Strongest Depend on Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The Yadus had fully taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa and were under His personal protection. No outside force could defeat them.

  2. 2

    As His earthly pastimes ended, Kṛṣṇa arranged an internal quarrel like fire arising from friction among bamboo. Through this arrangement, He removed His associates so they could accompany His pastimes elsewhere.

  3. 3

    The Yadus’ power did not make them independent controllers or equal to Kṛṣṇa. Their disappearance establishes that even the most powerful living entity can never equal or surpass the Supreme Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Even though Lord Kṛṣṇa wanted to arrange for the disappearance of the members of the Yadu dynasty, He could not personally kill them, as He had killed many demons, because the Yadu dynasty was His own family.
  • The members of the Yadu dynasty had fully taken shelter of Kṛṣṇa, and therefore they were always under the personal protection of the Lord.
  • Therefore, to establish that even the most powerful living entity can never equal or surpass the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa arranged for the destruction of the Yadu dynasty.

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. nanot
  2. evacertainly
  3. anyataḥfrom another cause
  4. paribhavaḥdefeat
  5. asyaof this (dynasty)
  6. bhavetthere can be
  7. kathañcitby any means
  8. mat-saṁśrayasyawhich has fully taken shelter of Me
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “surrendered”, “shelter”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “protection”

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 see my abilities as independent power, or as dependent on Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Choose one ability you value and use it today for a small act of service to Kṛṣṇa, remembering that He remains supreme.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayEven the Strongest Depend on KṛṣṇaThis 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 11.1.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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