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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.
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Canto 11 · Chapter 18: Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma
11.18.611.18.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.18.7

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

वन्यैश्चरुपुरोडाशैर्निर्वपेत् कालचोदितान् ।

न तु श्रौतेन पशुना मां यजेत वनाश्रमी ॥ ७ ॥

vanyaiś caru-puroḍāśair

nirvapet kāla-coditān

na tu śrautena paśunā

māṁ yajeta vanāśramī

Translation

One who has accepted the vānaprastha order of life should perform seasonal sacrifices by offering oblations of caru and sacrificial cakes prepared from rice and other grains found in the forest. The vānaprastha, however, may never offer animal sacrifices to Me, even those sacrifices mentioned in the Vedas.

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.

Worship Without Animal Sacrifice

  1. 1

    The vānaprastha should perform seasonal sacrifices using grains found in the forest.

  2. 2

    The offerings include caru and sacrificial cakes prepared from rice and other grains.

  3. 3

    A vānaprastha must never perform animal sacrifices, even those mentioned in the Vedas. He must also never eat meat.

Key points from the purport
  • One who has taken the vānaprastha order of life should never perform animal sacrifices or eat meat.

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 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. Furthermore, he should take as his garments tree bark, grass, leaves or the skin of a deer.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vanyaiḥobtained in the forest
  2. caruwith oblations of rice, barley and dāl beans
  3. puroḍāśaiḥand sacrificial cakes prepared with wild rice
  4. nirvapetone should offer
  5. kāla-coditānritualistic sacrifices, such as āgrayaṇa, offered according to seasons ( āgrayaṇa is the offering of the first fruits that appear after the rainy season)
  6. nanever
  7. tuindeed
  8. śrautenamentioned in the Vedas
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

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 does this restriction shape my understanding of worship?

Practice

Choose a meat-free meal today, remembering the verse’s prohibition against killing animals in sacrifice.

Live this todayWorship Without Animal SacrificeThis 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 11.18.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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