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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 10: The Nature of Fruitive Activity
11.10.811.10.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.10.9

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.10.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

निरोधोत्पत्त्यणुबृहन्नानात्वं तत्कृतान् गुणान् ।

अन्त:प्रविष्ट आधत्त एवं देहगुणान् पर: ॥ ९ ॥

nirodhotpatty-aṇu-bṛhan-

nānātvaṁ tat-kṛtān guṇān

antaḥ praviṣṭa ādhatta

evaṁ deha-guṇān paraḥ

Translation

Just as fire may appear differently as dormant, manifest, weak, brilliant and so on, according to the condition of the fuel, similarly, the spirit soul enters a material body and accepts particular bodily characteristics.

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.

The Soul Is Different From the Body

  1. 1

    Just as fire is different from its fuel, the soul is different from the body. The soul always exists, even when it appears within a body and later disappears from it.

  2. 2

    The spirit soul is qualitatively the same in every body. Designations such as nationality and age apply to the body, not to the transcendental soul.

  3. 3

    Opposition to the Supreme Personality of Godhead keeps the soul covered by material designations. Realizing that everything is part and parcel of the Absolute Truth, Lord Kṛṣṇa, frees one from these designations.

Key points from the purport
  • Just as fire is different from its fuel, the soul is different from the body.
  • Similarly, one spirit soul may appear in the body of Brahmā and another in the body of an ant, but the spirit soul is qualitatively the same in every body.
  • Although such designations certainly apply to the body, they do not apply to the spirit soul, which is described here as paraḥ, or a transcendental entity.

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

Uncertainty → Clarity. The coming separation makes the instruction personally urgent.

Chapters 10–20 of Canto 11: Kṛṣṇa's teachings on self, yoga and wisdom. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Nature of Fruitive Activity

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The spirit soul who has entered into the material body accepts bodily functions according to the reactions of his own past activities. Therefore, only the bona fide, transcendental spiritual master is capable of demonstrating pure knowledge of the self.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nirodhadormancy
  2. utpattimanifestation
  3. aṇutiny
  4. bṛhatlarge
  5. nānātvamthe variety of characteristics
  6. tat-kṛtānproduced by that
  7. guṇānqualities
  8. antaḥwithin
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.10

    In this verse: “spirit soul”, “absolute truth”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.10

    In this verse: “material”

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

Which bodily designation do I most often mistake for my true identity?

Practice

Today, notice one label you apply to yourself and reflect: this describes my body, not my eternal soul.

Live this todayThe Soul Is Different From the BodyThis 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 11.10.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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