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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 16: The Lord’s Opulence
11.16.1811.16.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.19

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

नागेन्द्राणामनन्तोऽहं मृगेन्द्र: श‍ृङ्गिदंष्ट्रिणाम् ।

आश्रमाणामहं तुर्यो वर्णानां प्रथमोऽनघ ॥ १९ ॥

nāgendrāṇām ananto ’haṁ

mṛgendraḥ śṛṅgi-daṁṣṭriṇām

āśramāṇām ahaṁ turyo

varṇānāṁ prathamo ’nagha

Translation

O sinless Uddhava, among the best of snakes I am Anantadeva, and among those animals with sharp horns or teeth I am the lion. Among the social orders I am the fourth, or the renounced order of life, and among the occupational divisions I am the first, the brāhmaṇas.

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 in Strength and Renunciation

  1. 1

    Among the best of snakes, the Lord is Anantadeva. Among animals with sharp horns or teeth, He is the lion.

  2. 2

    Among the social orders, He is the fourth, the renounced order of life.

  3. 3

    Among the occupational divisions, He is the first, the brāhmaṇas.

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:

After offering such prayers at the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Śrī Uddhava revealed his desire to know about the Lord’s various opulences in heaven, on earth, in hell and in all directions. Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa then described all these opulences, after which He commented that all power, beauty, fame, opulence, humility, charity, charm, good fortune, valor, tolerance and wisdom — wherever they are manifest — are simply expansions from Himself.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nāga-indrāṇāmamong the best of many-hooded snakes
  2. anantaḥAnantadeva
  3. ahamI am
  4. mṛga-indraḥthe lion
  5. śṛṅgi-daṁṣṭriṇāmamong animals with sharp horns or teeth
  6. āśramāṇāmamong the four social orders of life
  7. ahamI am
  8. turyaḥthe fourth, sannyāsa
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “renounced”

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 this verse broaden my attention from animal strength to the renounced order of life?

Practice

Read the verse twice, noticing both its animal examples and its examples from human life.

Live this todayThe Lord in Strength and RenunciationThis 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.

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