1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
11.14.32-3311.14.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.14.34

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

हृद्यविच्छिन्नमोङ्कारं घण्टानादं बिसोर्णवत् ।

प्राणेनोदीर्य तत्राथ पुन: संवेशयेत् स्वरम् ॥ ३४ ॥

hṛdy avicchinam oṁkāraṁ

ghaṇṭā-nādaṁ bisorṇa-vat

prāṇenodīrya tatrātha

punaḥ saṁveśayet svaram

Translation

Beginning from the mūlādhāra-cakra, one should move the life air continuously upward like the fibers in the lotus stalk until one reaches the heart, where the sacred syllable om is situated like the sound of a bell. One should thus continue raising the sacred syllable upward the distance of twelve aṅgulas, and there the oṁkāra should be joined together with the fifteen vibrations produced with anusvāra.

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.

Choose Chanting for This Age

  1. 1

    The verse describes raising the life air and the sacred syllable om through a technical process. Anusvāra is a nasal vibration pronounced after the fifteen Sanskrit vowels.

  2. 2

    This complicated process is unsuitable for this age. We can still appreciate the sophisticated achievements of those who practiced mystic meditation in former ages.

  3. 3

    The purport asks us to stick firmly to the simple, foolproof meditation prescribed for the present age: chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Anusvāra refers to a nasal vibration pronounced after the fifteen Sanskrit vowels.
  • From this description we can appreciate the sophisticated achievements of those who in former ages practiced mystic meditation.
  • Despite such appreciation, however, we should stick firmly to the simple, foolproof method of meditation prescribed for the present age, the chanting of Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

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:

One desiring to attain the perfection of life is advised to give up all material processes of elevation as well as the association of women. He should then merge his mind constantly in thought of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hṛdiin the heart
  2. avicchinnamuninterrupted, continuous
  3. oṁkāramthe sacred vibration om
  4. ghaṇṭālike a bell
  5. nādamsound
  6. bisa-ūrṇa-vatlike the fiber running up the lotus stalk
  7. prāṇenaby the wind of prāṇa
  8. udīryapushing upward
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.14

    In this verse: “chanting”

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 give the simple practice of chanting a steady place in my day?

Practice

Chant attentively today: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

Live this todayChoose Chanting for This AgeThis 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 11.14.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories