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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· six steps
  1. 1Chant the verseSay the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meaningsGo through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourselfBefore the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translationAsk: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowlyRead it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched youNote the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 11 · Chapter 11: The Symptoms of Conditioned and Liberated Living Entities
11.11.1711.11.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.11.18

शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातो न निष्णायात् परे यदि ।

श्रमस्तस्य श्रमफलो ह्यधेनुमिव रक्षत: ॥ १८ ॥

śabda-brahmaṇi niṣṇāto

na niṣṇāyāt pare yadi

śramas tasya śrama-phalo

hy adhenum iva rakṣataḥ

Translation

If through meticulous study one becomes expert in reading Vedic literature but makes no endeavor to fix one’s mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, then one’s endeavor is certainly like that of a man who works very hard to take care of a cow that gives no milk. In other words, the fruit of one’s laborious study of Vedic knowledge will simply be the labor itself. There will be no other tangible result.

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.

Let Study Lead to Love of Godhead

  1. 1

    Expert study of Vedic literature without fixing the mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead brings only the labor itself. The verse compares this to working hard to care for a cow that gives no milk.

  2. 2

    The Supreme here means the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Kṛṣṇa, not impersonal Brahman. Study should lead us to understand His spiritual form and surrender to Him as the supreme shelter.

  3. 3

    True expertise means reaching the goal of life: love of Godhead. Even one freed from bodily identification will fall down without taking shelter of the Supreme Lord.

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.