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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
11.16.811.16.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.16.9

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

अहमात्मोद्धवामीषां भूतानां सुहृदीश्वर: ।

अहं सर्वाणि भूतानि तेषां स्थित्युद्भ‍वाप्यय: ॥ ९ ॥

aham ātmoddhavāmīṣāṁ

bhūtānāṁ suhṛd īśvaraḥ

ahaṁ sarvāṇi bhūtāni

teṣāṁ sthity-udbhavāpyayaḥ

Translation

My dear Uddhava, I am the Supersoul of all living entities, and therefore I am naturally their well-wisher and supreme controller. Being the creator, maintainer and annihilator of all entities, I am not different from them.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Is Everyone’s Indwelling Well-Wisher

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is the Supersoul of all living entities. He is naturally their well-wisher and supreme controller.

  2. 2

    Living entities are not different from the Lord because they come from Him and belong to Him. He creates, maintains and annihilates all entities.

  3. 3

    Although He describes His material opulences, the Lord always remains transcendental and nonmaterial. His supreme potency gives life to all universal opulences.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī points out that the Personality of Godhead maintains an ablative and genitive relationship with His opulences.
  • In other words, the Lord is not different from all living entities, because they are coming from Him and they belong to Him.
  • Just as the living soul within the body gives life to the body, similarly, the Lord, by His supreme potency, gives life to all universal opulences.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 11.16.9 quotesBG 10.20

The Lord gave a similar explanation to Arjuna in the Tenth Chapter of Bhagavad-gītā (10.20), beginning with the same words, aham ātmā.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 cause of the birth, maintenance and destruction of all living entities. He is the soul of all beings, and by secretly taking up residence within all living bodies He sees everything.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ahamI am
  2. ātmāthe Supersoul
  3. uddhavaO Uddhava
  4. amīṣāmof these
  5. bhūtānāmliving entities
  6. su-hṛtthe well-wisher
  7. īśvaraḥthe supreme controller
  8. ahamI am
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.16

    In this verse: “material”

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 remembering Kṛṣṇa as your indwelling well-wisher affect your trust in Him?

Practice

Pause for a minute and acknowledge Kṛṣṇa as your well-wisher and the source of your life.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Everyone’s Indwelling Well-WisherThis 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 11.16.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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