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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
11.1.511.1.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 11.1.6-7

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.1.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स्वमूर्त्या लोकलावण्यनिर्मुक्त्या लोचनं नृणाम् ।

गीर्भिस्ता: स्मरतां चित्तं पदैस्तानीक्षतां क्रिया: ॥ ६ ॥

आच्छिद्य कीर्तिं सुश्लोकां वितत्य ह्यञ्जसा नु कौ ।

तमोऽनया तरिष्यन्तीत्यगात् स्वं पदमीश्वर: ॥ ७ ॥

sva-mūrtyā loka-lāvaṇya-

nirmuktyā locanaṁ nṛṇām

gīrbhis tāḥ smaratāṁ cittaṁ

padais tān īkṣatāṁ kriyāḥ

ācchidya kīrtiṁ su-ślokāṁ

vitatya hy añjasā nu kau

tamo ’nayā tariṣyantīty

agāt svaṁ padam īśvaraḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, is the reservoir of all beauty. All beautiful things emanate from Him, and His personal form is so attractive that it steals the eyes away from all other objects, which then seem devoid of beauty in comparison to Him. When Lord Kṛṣṇa was on the earth, He attracted the eyes of all people. When Kṛṣṇa spoke, His words attracted the minds of all who remembered them. By seeing the footsteps of Lord Kṛṣṇa, people became attracted to Him, and thus they wanted to offer their bodily activities to the Lord as His followers. In this way Kṛṣṇa very easily spread His glories, which are sung throughout the world by the most sublime and essential Vedic verses. Lord Kṛṣṇa considered that simply by hearing and chanting those glories, conditioned souls born in the future would cross beyond the darkness of ignorance. Being satisfied with this arrangement, He left for His desired destination.

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.

Hear Kṛṣṇa’s Glories and Serve Him

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the reservoir of all beauty and pleasure. As His eternal servants, we find full satisfaction by serving Him rather than seeking independent sense gratification.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa’s form, words and activities attract living beings to Him. Their apparent resemblance to ordinary human life is His merciful arrangement to draw conditioned souls toward His spiritual kingdom.

  3. 3

    Hearing and chanting Kṛṣṇa’s glories carries conditioned souls beyond the darkness of ignorance. Those seeking spiritual advancement should hear teachings about pure devotional service and avoid interpretations that encourage material desires.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is the Absolute Truth and the reservoir of all beauty and pleasure.
  • The inconceivable Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, by displaying His own true form, freed the living entities from falsely seeking forms of beauty other than His form, which is itself the source of all beautiful things.
  • By showing His own spiritual form and kingdom to the living entities in a way tangible for them, Lord Kṛṣṇa drove away their false enjoying attitude and removed their long-standing indifference to His personality.

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

Connected verses· 3

The purport of SB 11.1.6-7 quotesBG 2.42

As explained in Bhagavad-gītā (2.42-43):

The purport of SB 11.1.6-7 quotesSB 3.2.7

Viśvanātha Cakravartī has quoted a statement by Uddhava at the beginning of the Third Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.2.7) wherein Uddhava compares the disappearance of Lord Kṛṣṇa to the setting of the sun.

The purport of SB 11.1.6-7 quotesSB 11.31.23

It is the most auspicious of auspicious places.”

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

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:

But the Supreme Lord, whose influence is inconceivable, was not yet satisfied, because of the continued presence of the undefeatable Yadu family. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sva-mūrtyāby His own form
  2. lokaof all the material worlds
  3. lāvaṇyathe beauty
  4. nirmuktyāwhich takes away
  5. locanam(He attracted) the eyes
  6. nṛṇāmof men
  7. gīrbhiḥby His words
  8. tāḥ smaratāmof those who remembered them
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.1

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

How can I turn my desire for beauty and happiness toward giving pleasure to Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading this translation aloud, paying attention to how Kṛṣṇa attracts the eyes, mind and activities toward His service.

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.

The purport quotesSB 3.2.7SB 11.31.23

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

Live this todayHear Kṛṣṇa’s Glories and Serve HimThis 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 11.1.6-7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.