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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
11.15.1511.15.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.15.16

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

नारायणे तुरीयाख्ये भगवच्छब्दशब्दिते ।

मनो मय्यादधद् योगी मद्धर्मा वशितामियात् ॥ १६ ॥

nārāyaṇe turīyākhye

bhagavac-chabda-śabdite

mano mayy ādadhad yogī

mad-dharmā vaśitām iyāt

Translation

The yogī who places his mind in My form of Nārāyaṇa, known as the fourth factor, full of all opulences, becomes endowed with My nature and thus obtains the mystic perfection called vaśitā.

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.

Freedom Through the Lord Beyond the Modes

  1. 1

    Nārāyaṇa is called turīya, the fourth factor, because He is beyond goodness, passion and ignorance. He is also beyond wakefulness, dreaming and dreamless sleep.

  2. 2

    The Lord is Bhagavān, the possessor of unlimited opulences, principally beauty, fame, wealth, knowledge, renunciation and intelligence.

  3. 3

    Meditation on the Lord beyond the modes brings vaśitā, freedom from those modes. Everything depends upon the favor of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus the Lord is called turīya, or the fourth factor beyond the three modes of nature.
  • According to Śrīla Vīrarāghava Ācārya, turīya also indicates that the Lord is beyond the three ordinary phases of consciousness, namely wakefulness, dreaming and dreamless sleep.
  • Bhaga-vac-chabda-śabdite indicates that the Lord is known as Bhagavān, or the possessor of unlimited opulences, principally beauty, fame, wealth, knowledge, renunciation and intelligence.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 11.15.16 quotesBG 7.13

In Bhagavad-gītā (7.13) Lord Kṛṣṇa states: “Deluded by the three modes [goodness, passion and ignorance], the whole world does not know Me, who am above the modes and inexhaustible.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. nārāyaṇein the Supreme Lord, Nārāyaṇa
  2. turīya-ākhyeknown as the fourth, beyond the three modes of material nature
  3. bhagavatfull of all opulences
  4. śabda-śabditeknown by the word
  5. manaḥthe mind
  6. mayiin Me
  7. ādadhatplacing
  8. yogīthe yogī
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.15

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.15

    In this verse: “wealth”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 11.15

    In this verse: “favor”

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 remembering the Lord’s position beyond the modes deepen my dependence on His favor?

Practice

Take one minute to reflect on Nārāyaṇa as beyond the three modes and full of unlimited opulences.

Live this todayFreedom Through the Lord Beyond the ModesThis 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 11.15.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.