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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 14: Lord Kṛṣṇa Explains the Yoga System to Śrī Uddhava
11.14.3111.14.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 11.14.32-33

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.14.32-33inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

श्रीभगवानुवाच

सम आसन आसीन: समकायो यथासुखम् ।

हस्तावुत्सङ्ग आधाय स्वनासाग्रकृतेक्षण: ॥ ३२ ॥

प्राणस्य शोधयेन्मार्गं पूरकुम्भकरेचकै: ।

विपर्ययेणापि शनैरभ्यसेन्निर्जितेन्द्रिय: ॥ ३३ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

sama āsana āsīnaḥ

sama-kāyo yathā-sukham

hastāv utsaṅga ādhāya

sva-nāsāgra-kṛtekṣaṇaḥ

prāṇasya śodhayen mārgaṁ

pūra-kumbhaka-recakaiḥ

viparyayeṇāpi śanair

abhyasen nirjitendriyaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Sitting on a level seat that is not too high or too low, keeping the body straight and erect yet comfortable, placing the two hands on one’s lap and focusing the eyes on the tip of one’s nose, one should purify the pathways of breathing by practicing the mechanical exercises of pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka, and then one should reverse the procedure (recaka, kumbhaka, pūraka). Having fully controlled the senses, one may thus practice prāṇāyāma step by step.

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.

Steady Posture and Breath Support Mental Control

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead describes sitting comfortably upright on a level seat, neither too high nor too low. The hands rest in the lap, palms upward, one upon the other.

  2. 2

    With the eyes focused on the tip of the nose, one purifies the breathing pathways through pūraka, kumbhaka and recaka, then reverses the sequence. This prāṇāyāma is practiced step by step with the senses controlled.

  3. 3

    Mechanical breath control is meant to bring steadiness of mind. The purport explains that the eyes, normally directed outward, must be turned inward so that the mind becomes steady and controlled.

Key points from the purport
  • According to this procedure, the hands are to be placed palms upward, one on top of the other.
  • Thus, one may practice prāṇāyāma through mechanical breath control in order to achieve steadiness of the mind.
  • As stated in the yoga-śāstra, antar-lakṣyo bahir-dṛṣṭiḥ sthira-cittaḥ susaṅgataḥ: “The eyes, which generally see externally, must be turned inward, and thus the mind is steadied and fully controlled.”

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 14: Lord Kṛṣṇa Explains the Yoga System to Śrī Uddhava

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Pure devotion, having the power to purify the heart, enables one to achieve the association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and because the devotee is very dear to the Lord and is always close to Him, he is able in turn to purify the entire universe.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. samehaving a level surface
  3. āsaneon the seat
  4. āsīnaḥsitting
  5. sama-kāyaḥsitting with the body straight and erect
  6. yathā-sukhamsitting comfortably
  7. hastauthe two hands
  8. utsaṅgein the lap
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.14

    In this verse: “purify”, “purifies”

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 might a comfortable, upright posture help me become more attentive?

Practice

Sit briefly on a level seat with your body comfortably upright and your hands resting palms upward in your lap, one upon the other.

Live this todaySteady Posture and Breath Support Mental ControlThis 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 11.14.32-33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.