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
11.14.36-4211.14.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.14.43

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

तत् सर्वव्यापकं चित्तमाकृष्यैकत्र धारयेत् ।

नान्यानि चिन्तयेद् भूय: सुस्मितं भावयेन्मुखम् ॥ ४३ ॥

tat sarva-vyāpakaṁ cittam

ākṛṣyaikatra dhārayet

nānyāni cintayed bhūyaḥ

su-smitaṁ bhāvayen mukham

Translation

One should then pull the consciousness back from all the limbs of that transcendental body. At that time, one should meditate only on the wonderfully smiling face of the Lord.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Concentrate on the Lord’s Smiling Face

  1. 1

    After meditating on the Lord’s transcendental body, one should draw consciousness back from its many limbs.

  2. 2

    Attention is then gathered in one place: the Lord’s face.

  3. 3

    At this stage, one should meditate only on His wonderfully smiling face, rather than on the other limbs.

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:

But the only true means of achieving happiness is to meditate on offering everything to the Supreme Lord. In this way one becomes free from all desires for selfish gratification through enjoyment of mundane sense objects, and he becomes released from all hankering for either enjoyment or liberation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tattherefore
  2. sarvain all the parts of the body
  3. vyāpakamspread
  4. cittamconsciousness
  5. ākṛṣyapulling back
  6. ekatrain one place
  7. dhārayetone should concentrate
  8. nanot
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

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

What helps me keep my attention on the Lord’s wonderfully smiling face?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering the Lord’s smiling face, gently returning your attention to it whenever it wanders.

Live this todayConcentrate on the Lord’s Smiling FaceThis 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 11.14.43? 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