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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

11.17.56 11.17.58

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.17.57

Ūti· What drives us to act

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

अहो मे पितरौ वृद्धौ भार्या बालात्मजात्मजा: ।

अनाथा मामृते दीना: कथं जीवन्ति दु:खिता: ॥ ५७ ॥

aho me pitarau vṛddhau

bhāryā bālātmajātmajāḥ

anāthā mām ṛte dīnāḥ

kathaṁ jīvanti duḥkhitāḥ

Translation

“O my poor elderly parents, and my wife with a mere infant in her arms, and my other young children! Without me they have absolutely no one to protect them and will suffer unbearably. How can my poor relatives possibly live without me?”

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Anxiety of Being the Only Protector

1
The householder worries about his elderly parents, his wife with an infant, and his other young children. He imagines them suffering unbearably without him.
2
He believes that his relatives have absolutely no one else to protect them. His anxious question is how they could possibly live without him.
3
In this description of family attachment, concern for relatives becomes the fearful conviction that everything depends on oneself.

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

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One who wishes to enter the household order should accept a wife who is of the same social class, who is not objectionable, and who is somewhat younger in age than he. The obligatory duties of the three classes who are twice-born — the brāhmaṇas, kṣatriyas and vaiśyas — are worship of the Lord, study of the Vedas and giving charity.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.17

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

ahoalas
memy
pitarauparents
vṛddhauelderly
bhāryāwife
bāla-ātma-jāhaving a mere infant in her arms
ātmā-jāḥand my other young children
anāthāḥwith no one to protect them

Key ideas in this verse

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

Ūti · The creative impetus
Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 11.17
In this verse: “children”, “infant”
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.17
In this verse: “attachment”, “householder”
Rakṣā · Divine protection
Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 11.17
In this verse: “protect”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I worry about my family, do I assume that their protection depends entirely on me?

Practice

Notice one anxious thought about your family today and ask whether it assumes that you are their only possible protector.

Live this todayThe Anxiety of Being the Only ProtectorThis 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 11.17.57? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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