1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
11.18.2711.18.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.18.28

Mukti· Liberation
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

ज्ञाननिष्ठो विरक्तो वा मद्भ‍क्तो वानपेक्षक: ।

सलिङ्गानाश्रमांस्त्यक्त्वा चरेदविधिगोचर: ॥ २८ ॥

jñāna-niṣṭho virakto vā

mad-bhakto vānapekṣakaḥ

sa-liṅgān āśramāṁs tyaktvā

cared avidhi-gocaraḥ

Translation

A learned transcendentalist dedicated to the cultivation of knowledge and thus detached from external objects, or My devotee who is detached even from desire for liberation — both neglect those duties based on external rituals or paraphernalia. Thus their conduct is beyond the range of rules and regulations.

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.

Pure Devotion Fulfills the Purpose of Rules

  1. 1

    The paramahaṁsa stage is beyond the need for external rituals and paraphernalia. A perfect devotee desires neither material engagement nor even liberation.

  2. 2

    A completely purified mind has no tendency toward sinful behavior. The pure devotee desires only service and fulfills the purpose of all injunctions: always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him.

  3. 3

    One must not artificially imitate the freedom of a paramahaṁsa. Such imitation quickly ruins one's spiritual progress.

Key points from the purport
  • This verse describes the paramahaṁsa stage of life, in which there is no further need for rituals, external paraphernalia or rules and regulations.
  • A completely realized jñāna-yogī pursuing liberation, or beyond that, a perfect devotee of the Lord who does not desire even liberation, has no further desire for material engagement.
  • A paramahaṁsa devotee, having completely given up all attachment and interest in the material world, is no longer attracted by such external features of 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:

He is a devotee of the Supreme Lord, detached from external sense gratification and completely free from desire for even such subtle gratificatory goals as liberation. He is expert in discrimination and, just like a simple child, is free from concepts of pride and insult.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. jñānato philosophical knowledge
  2. niṣṭhaḥdedicated
  3. viraktaḥdetached from external manifestations
  4. vāeither
  5. mat-bhaktaḥMy devotee
  6. vāor
  7. anapekṣakaḥnot desiring even liberation
  8. sa-liṅgānwith their rituals and external regulations
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.18

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.18

    In this verse: “detached”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.18

    In this verse: “purified”, “sinful”

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

Am I using spiritual guidance to remember Kṛṣṇa, or looking for reasons to avoid it?

Practice

Follow one devotional discipline carefully today, keeping its purpose—remembering Kṛṣṇa—in mind.

Live this todayPure Devotion Fulfills the Purpose of RulesThis 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 11.18.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories