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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 18: Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma
11.17.5811.18.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.18.1

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.18.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

श्रीभगवानुवाच

वनं विविक्षु: पुत्रेषु भार्यां न्यस्य सहैव वा ।

वन एव वसेच्छान्तस्तृतीयं भागमायुष: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

vanaṁ vivikṣuḥ putreṣu

bhāryāṁ nyasya sahaiva vā

vana eva vasec chāntas

tṛtīyaṁ bhāgam āyuṣaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One who desires to adopt the third order of life, vānaprastha, should enter the forest with a peaceful mind, leaving his wife with his mature sons, or else taking her along with him.

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.

Gradually Prepare for Renunciation

  1. 1

    Vānaprastha is a gradual transition from materialistic family life to complete renunciation.

  2. 2

    One should enter this third order of life with a peaceful mind, leaving one’s wife with mature sons or taking her along.

  3. 3

    The suggested ages of fifty for vānaprastha and seventy-five for sannyāsa assume a hundred-year life. Since such longevity is unusual in Kali-yuga, the schedule should be adjusted.

Key points from the purport
  • A man who has a reasonable expectation of living for one hundred years may adopt the vānaprastha order at the age of fifty, and then at the age of seventy-five he may take sannyāsa for complete renunciation.
  • Since in Kali-yuga very few people live for one hundred years, one should adjust the schedule accordingly.
  • Vānaprastha is intended as a gradual transition from materialistic family life to the stage of complete renunciation.

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 18: Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One who is taking to the vānaprastha stage of life should leave his wife at home in the care of his sons, or else take her along, and with a peaceful mind spend the third quarter of his life in the forest. He should accept as his food whatever bulbs, fruits, roots and so on that grow in the forest, taking sometimes grains cooked by fire and sometimes fruits ripened by time.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. vanamthe forest
  3. vivikṣuḥdesiring to enter
  4. putreṣuamong the sons
  5. bhāryāmwife
  6. nyasyaentrusting
  7. sahatogether with
  8. evaindeed
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.18

    In this verse: “materialistic”

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 could I begin reducing material attachments with a peaceful mind?

Practice

Identify one material attachment you could begin to reduce gradually.

Live this todayGradually Prepare for RenunciationThis 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 11.18.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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