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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
11.16.2911.16.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.30

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

रत्नानां पद्मरागोऽस्मि पद्मकोश: सुपेशसाम् ।

कुशोऽस्मि दर्भजातीनां गव्यमाज्यं हवि:ष्वहम् ॥ ३० ॥

ratnānāṁ padma-rāgo ’smi

padma-kośaḥ su-peśasām

kuśo ’smi darbha-jātīnāṁ

gavyam ājyaṁ haviḥṣv aham

Translation

Among jewels I am the ruby, and among beautiful things I am the lotus cup. Among all types of grass I am the sacred kuśa, and of oblations I am ghee and other ingredients obtained from the cow.

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.

The Lord in Beauty and Sacred Offerings

  1. 1

    Pañca-gavya consists of five sacrificial ingredients from the cow: milk, ghee, yogurt, dung and urine. The purport emphasizes the cow’s value by explaining that even its dung and urine are fit for sacrificial offering.

  2. 2

    Sacred kuśa grass is used on religious occasions. Mahārāja Parīkṣit made a sitting place from it during the last week of his life.

  3. 3

    The lotus cup formed by lotus petals represents Lord Kṛṣṇa among beautiful things. The ruby resembles His Kaustubha gem and symbolizes His potency.

Key points from the purport
  • Pañca-gavya refers to five sacrificial ingredients obtained from the cow, namely milk, ghee, yogurt, dung and urine.
  • Kuśa grass is also used for religious occasions.
  • Among beautiful things the lotus cup formed by lotus petals represents Lord Kṛṣṇa, and among jewels the ruby, which is similar to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s own Kaustubha gem, symbolizes the potency of the Lord.

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:

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. ratnānāmof jewels
  2. padma-rāgaḥthe ruby
  3. asmiI am
  4. padma-kośaḥthe lotus cup
  5. su-peśasāmamong beautiful things
  6. kuśaḥthe sacred kuśa grass
  7. asmiI am
  8. darbha-jātīnāmamong all types of grass
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “religious”

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 beauty remind me of Kṛṣṇa rather than hold my attention by itself?

Practice

Reread the description of the lotus cup and ruby, and pause to remember the Lord they represent.

Live this todayThe Lord in Beauty and Sacred OfferingsThis 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 11.16.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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