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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 15: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of Mystic Yoga Perfections
11.15.8-911.15.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.15.10

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.15.3inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

भूतसूक्ष्मात्मनि मयि तन्मात्रं धारयेन्मन: ।

अणिमानमवाप्नोति तन्मात्रोपासको मम ॥ १० ॥

bhūta-sūkṣmātmani mayi

tan-mātraṁ dhārayen manaḥ

aṇimānam avāpnoti

tan-mātropāsako mama

Translation

One who worships Me in My atomic form pervading all subtle elements, fixing his mind on that alone, obtains the mystic perfection called aṇimā.

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 Supreme Lord Is Within the Atoms

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead is within atoms and atomic particles.

  2. 2

    One who worships the Lord in His atomic form, perfectly fixing the mind on that form, acquires aṇimā.

  3. 3

    Aṇimā is the ability to become smaller than the smallest. Through it, a yogī can enter even dense matter such as stone.

Key points from the purport
  • Aṇimā refers to the mystic ability to make oneself smaller than the smallest and thus able to enter within anything.
  • The Supreme Personality of Godhead is within the atoms and atomic particles, and one who perfectly fixes his mind in that subtle atomic form of the Lord acquires the mystic potency called aṇimā, by which one can enter within even the most dense matter such as stone.

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 15: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of Mystic Yoga Perfections

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

They are developed by fixing one’s mind in yoga, but they are ultimately obstructions to achieving the spiritual abode of Lord Viṣṇu. Being questioned by Uddhava, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa describes the characteristics of the eighteen mystic perfections and the particular kind of meditation by which each is achieved.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhūta-sūkṣmaof the subtle elements
  2. ātmaniin the soul
  3. mayiin Me
  4. tat-mātramon the subtle, elemental forms of perception
  5. dhārayetone should concentrate
  6. manaḥthe mind
  7. aṇimānamthe mystic perfection called aṇimā
  8. avāpnotiobtains
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.15

    In this verse: “worships”

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 does the Lord’s presence within atoms deepen my awareness of Him?

Practice

Look at a stone or another solid object and briefly remember the Lord’s presence within its atoms.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is Within the AtomsThis 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 11.15.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.