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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
11.15.4-511.15.8-9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 11.15.6-7

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

अनूर्मिमत्त्वं देहेऽस्मिन् दूरश्रवणदर्शनम् ।

मनोजव: कामरूपं परकायप्रवेशनम् ॥ ६ ॥

स्वच्छन्दमृत्युर्देवानां सहक्रीडानुदर्शनम् ।

यथासङ्कल्पसंसिद्धिराज्ञाप्रतिहता गति: ॥ ७ ॥

anūrmimattvaṁ dehe ’smin

dūra-śravaṇa-darśanam

mano-javaḥ kāma-rūpaṁ

para-kāya-praveśanam

svacchanda-mṛtyur devānāṁ

saha-krīḍānudarśanam

yathā-saṅkalpa-saṁsiddhir

ājñāpratihatā gatiḥ

Translation

The ten secondary mystic perfections arising from the modes of nature are the powers of freeing oneself from hunger and thirst and other bodily disturbances, hearing and seeing things far away, moving the body at the speed of the mind, assuming any form one desires, entering the bodies of others, dying when one desires, witnessing the pastimes between the demigods and the celestial girls called Apsarās, completely executing one’s determination and giving orders whose fulfillment is unimpeded.

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.

Secondary Perfections Arise from Material Nature

  1. 1

    The ten secondary perfections arise from the modes of nature. They include freedom from hunger, thirst and other bodily disturbances, along with hearing and seeing things far away.

  2. 2

    Other powers include moving the body at the speed of the mind, assuming any desired form, entering others’ bodies and dying when one desires.

  3. 3

    The remaining powers are witnessing the pastimes of demigods with Apsarās, completely executing one’s determination and giving orders whose fulfillment is unimpeded.

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. anūrmi-mattvambeing undisturbed by hunger, thirst, etc.
  2. dehe asminin this body
  3. dūrathings very far away
  4. śravaṇahearing
  5. darśanamand seeing
  6. manaḥ-javaḥmoving the body at the speed of the mind
  7. kāma-rūpamassuming any body that one desires
  8. para-kāyathe bodies of others
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 11.15

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.15

    In this verse: “dying”

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 does the material origin of these powers help me understand about their nature?

Practice

Make a brief list of the ten secondary perfections and label it “arising from the modes of nature.”

Live this todaySecondary Perfections Arise from Material NatureThis 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 11.15.6-7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.