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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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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 16: The Lord’s Opulence
11.16.1311.16.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.14

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.16.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

ब्रह्मर्षीणां भृगुरहं राजर्षीणामहं मनु: ।

देवर्षीणां नारदोऽहं हविर्धान्यस्मि धेनुषु ॥ १४ ॥

brahmarṣīṇāṁ bhṛgur ahaṁ

rājarṣīṇām ahaṁ manuḥ

devarṣīṇāṁ nārado ’haṁ

havirdhāny asmi dhenuṣu

Translation

Among saintly brāhmaṇas I am Bhṛgu Muni, and I am Manu among saintly kings. I am Nārada Muni among saintly demigods, and I am Kāmadhenu among cows.

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.

The Lord Among Saintly Beings

  1. 1

    Among saintly brāhmaṇas, the Lord is Bhṛgu Muni.

  2. 2

    Among saintly kings, He is Manu. Among saintly demigods, He is Nārada Muni.

  3. 3

    Among cows, He is Kāmadhenu. The Lord includes both saintly beings and cows in this description of His opulence.

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 16: The Lord’s Opulence

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He is the soul of all beings, and by secretly taking up residence within all living bodies He sees everything. The conditioned souls, on the other hand, are bewildered by His external energy and thus are unable to see Him.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. brahma-ṛṣīṇāmamong the saintly brāhmaṇas
  2. bhṛguḥBhṛgu Muni
  3. ahamI am
  4. rāja-ṛṣīṇāmamong the saintly kings
  5. ahamI am
  6. manuḥManu
  7. deva-ṛṣīṇāmamong the saintly demigods
  8. nāradaḥNārada Muni
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “kings”

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 do these examples help me notice about the range of the Lord’s opulence?

Practice

Choose one example from this verse and repeat its connection with the Lord aloud.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.16's connections

Live this todayThe Lord Among Saintly BeingsThis 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 11.16.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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