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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
11.17.5-611.17.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.17.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 11.17.1-2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

तत्त्वं न: सर्वधर्मज्ञ धर्मस्त्वद्भ‍‍क्तिलक्षण: ।

यथा यस्य विधीयेत तथा वर्णय मे प्रभो ॥ ७ ॥

tat tvaṁ naḥ sarva-dharma-jña

dharmas tvad-bhakti-lakṣaṇaḥ

yathā yasya vidhīyeta

tathā varṇaya me prabho

Translation

Therefore, my Lord, since You are the knower of all religious principles, please describe to me the human beings who may execute the path of loving service to You and how such service is to be rendered.

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.

Ask How to Serve the Lord

  1. 1

    Uddhava addresses the Lord as the knower of all religious principles.

  2. 2

    He asks which human beings may follow the spiritual path characterized by loving service to the Lord.

  3. 3

    He also asks how that service should be rendered. His concern is to understand the actual practice of loving service.

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:

After Uddhava inquires from Śrī Kṛṣṇa about the duties of the social and religious orders of the varṇāśrama society, the Lord replies that in the first age, Satya-yuga, there was only one social order, called haṁsa. In that age men were automatically dedicated to pure devotional service from their very birth, and since everyone was perfect in all respects, the age was called Kṛta-yuga.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tattherefore
  2. tvamYou
  3. naḥamong us (human beings)
  4. sarva-dharma-jñaO supreme knower of religious principles
  5. dharmaḥthe spiritual path
  6. tvat-bhaktiby loving service to You
  7. lakṣaṇaḥcharacterized
  8. yathāin which way
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.17

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.17

    In this verse: “understand”

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 do you most need to understand about rendering loving service to the Lord?

Practice

Write down one sincere question about how to serve the Lord.

Live this todayAsk How to Serve the LordThis 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 11.17.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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