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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 17: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of the Varṇāśrama System
11.17.2411.17.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.17.25

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.17.9inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

रेतो नावकिरेज्जातु ब्रह्मव्रतधर: स्वयम् ।

अवकीर्णेऽवगाह्याप्सु यतासुस्‍त्रिपदां जपेत् ॥ २५ ॥

reto nāvakirej jātu

brahma-vrata-dharaḥ svayam

avakīrṇe ’vagāhyāpsu

yatāsus tri-padāṁ japet

Translation

One observing the vow of celibate brahmacārī life should never pass semen. If the semen by chance spills out by itself, the brahmacārī should immediately take bath in water, control his breath by prāṇāyāma and chant the Gāyatrī mantra.

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.

Maintaining the Vow of Celibacy

  1. 1

    A student observing celibate brahmacārī life should never deliberately discharge semen.

  2. 2

    If semen spills out by itself, the brahmacārī should immediately bathe in water.

  3. 3

    The prescribed response also includes controlling the breath by prāṇāyāma and chanting the Gāyatrī mantra.

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 17: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of the Varṇāśrama System

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He should keep matted hair and is forbidden to wash his teeth, prepare a nice seat for himself, talk when bathing or evacuating, cut his hair and nails or at any time pass semen. He must regularly perform worship at the three junctures of the day and must render devotional service to his spiritual master in a spirit free from envy.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. retaḥsemen
  2. nanot
  3. avakiretshould spill out
  4. jātuever
  5. brahma-vrata-dharaḥone who is maintaining the vow of celibacy, or brahmacarya
  6. svayamby itself
  7. avakīrṇehaving flowed out
  8. avagāhyabathing
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.17

    In this verse: “chant”, “chanting”

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 does this prescribed response teach you about returning steadily to your discipline?

Practice

Reread the verse and identify its distinction between maintaining a vow and responding to an involuntary occurrence.

Live this todayMaintaining the Vow of CelibacyThis 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 11.17.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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