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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.17.58

Who is speaking and story frame

एवं गृहाशयाक्षिप्तहृदयो मूढधीरयम् ।

अतृप्तस्ताननुध्यायन् मृतोऽन्धं विशते तम: ॥ ५८ ॥

evaṁ gṛhāśayākṣipta-

hṛdayo mūḍha-dhīr ayam

atṛptas tān anudhyāyan

mṛto ’ndhaṁ viśate tamaḥ

Translation

Thus, because of his foolish mentality, a householder whose heart is overwhelmed by family attachment is never satisfied. Constantly meditating on his relatives, he dies and enters into the darkness of ignorance.

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.

Fix the Mind on Lord Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    A householder overwhelmed by family attachment remains unsatisfied. Constantly thinking of his relatives, he dies and enters the darkness of ignorance.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that bodily attachment and considering oneself the center of everything lead to degradation into a lower species of life.

  3. 3

    Somehow or other, we must fix our minds on Lord Kṛṣṇa. This brings us out of the darkness of ignorance to our real life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • Andhaṁ viśate tamaḥ indicates that in his next life an attached householder will certainly be degraded because of his primitive mentality of bodily attachment, which is called mūḍha-dhī.
  • Somehow or other, we must fix our minds on Lord Kṛṣṇa and come out of the darkness of ignorance to our real life in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  • Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C.

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 17: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Description of the Varṇāśrama System

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

If he has a grown son, he may directly take the renounced order of sannyāsa. But persons who are excessively lusty after women, who have no proper discrimination, and who are extremely attached to wealth and possessions remain perpetually in anxiety over the welfare of their family members and are doomed to take their next birth in a lower species of life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evamthus
  2. gṛhain his domestic situation
  3. āśayaby intense desire
  4. ākṣiptaoverwhelmed
  5. hṛdayaḥhis heart
  6. mūḍhaunintelligent
  7. dhīḥwhose point of view
  8. ayamthis person
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.17

    In this verse: “attachment”, “householder”

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 most occupies my mind, and how can I turn my attention toward Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Set aside one quiet minute today to deliberately fix your mind on Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Live this todayFix the Mind on Lord KṛṣṇaThis 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 11.17.58? Get an answer from the verses themselves.