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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
11.16.111.16.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.2

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 11.16.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

उच्चावचेषु भूतेषु दुर्ज्ञेयमकृतात्मभि: ।

उपासते त्वां भगवन् याथातथ्येन ब्राह्मणा: ॥ २ ॥

uccāvaceṣu bhūteṣu

durjñeyam akṛtātmabhiḥ

upāsate tvāṁ bhagavan

yāthā-tathyena brāhmaṇāḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, although it is difficult for the impious to understand that You are situated in all superior and inferior creations, those brāhmaṇas who are actual knowers of the Vedic conclusion worship You in truth.

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.

See Kṛṣṇa Everywhere, Serve With Discernment

  1. 1

    Those with purified, clear consciousness worship the Lord as He is. The behavior of saintly persons is also evidence of His all-pervading presence.

  2. 2

    Saintly brāhmaṇas, or Vaiṣṇavas, worship Kṛṣṇa within all things while recognizing variety in His creation.

  3. 3

    Devotees make distinctions for the sake of the Lord’s service. They select the nicest offerings and give more attention to those interested in Kṛṣṇa’s message.

Key points from the purport
  • The behavior of saintly persons is also to be taken as evidence, and therefore it is here stated that although ignorant, impious persons are bewildered before the Lord’s all-pervading feature, those with purified, clear consciousness worship the Lord as He is.
  • The saintly brāhmaṇas, or Vaiṣṇavas, worship Lord Kṛṣṇa within all things and yet recognize the variety in the Lord’s creation.
  • Although the Lord is everywhere, the devotees make distinctions, for the sake of the Lord’s service, between His presence in superior (ucca) and inferior (avaceṣu) creations.

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 16: The Lord’s Opulence

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this chapter the Personality of Godhead, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, describes His manifest opulences in terms of His specific potencies of knowledge, strength, influence, and so on. Śrī Uddhava offered glorification to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead and ultimate shelter of all holy places, saying, “The Supreme Lord has no beginning and no end.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. uccain the superior
  2. avaceṣuand the inferior
  3. bhūteṣucreated objects and entities
  4. durjñeyamhard to understand
  5. akṛta-ātmabhiḥby the impious
  6. upāsatethey worship
  7. tvāmYou
  8. bhagavanmy dear Lord
  9. yāthā-tathyenain truth
  10. brāhmaṇāḥthose dedicated to the Vedic conclusion
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “worship”, “devotees”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “purified”

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 you recognize the Lord’s presence everywhere while thoughtfully choosing what best serves Him?

Practice

Choose one especially nice flower or fruit to offer to Kṛṣṇa today.

Live this todaySee Kṛṣṇa Everywhere, Serve With DiscernmentThis 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 11.16.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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