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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 · Texts 11.19.28-32

श्रीउद्धव उवाच

यम: कतिविध: प्रोक्तो नियमो वारिकर्षण ।

क: शम: को दम: कृष्ण का तितिक्षा धृति: प्रभो ॥ २८ ॥

किं दानं किं तप: शौर्यं किम् सत्यमृतमुच्यते ।

कस्त्याग: किं धनं चेष्टं को यज्ञ: का च दक्षिणा ॥ २९ ॥

पुंस: किं स्विद् बलं श्रीमन् भगो लाभश्च केशव ।

का विद्या ह्री: परा का श्री: किं सुखं दु:खमेव च ॥ ३० ॥

क: पण्डित: कश्च मूर्ख: क: पन्था उत्पथश्च क: ।

क: स्वर्गो नरक: क: स्वित् को बन्धुरुत किं गृहम् ॥ ३१ ॥

क आढ्य: को दरिद्रो वा कृपण: क: क ईश्वर: ।

एतान् प्रश्न‍ान् मम ब्रूहि विपरीतांश्च सत्पते ॥ ३२ ॥

śrī-uddhava uvāca

yamaḥ kati-vidhaḥ prokto

niyamo vāri-karṣaṇa

kaḥ śamaḥ ko damaḥ kṛṣṇa

kā titikṣā dhṛtiḥ prabho

kiṁ dānaṁ kiṁ tapaḥ śauryaṁ

kim satyam ṛtam ucyate

kas tyāgaḥ kiṁ dhanaṁ ceṣṭaṁ

ko yajñaḥ kā ca dakṣiṇā

puṁsaḥ kiṁ svid balaṁ śrīman

bhago lābhaś ca keśava

kā vidyā hrīḥ parā kā śrīḥ

kiṁ sukhaṁ duḥkham eva ca

kaḥ paṇḍitaḥ kaś ca mūrkhaḥ

kaḥ panthā utpathaś ca kaḥ

kaḥ svargo narakaḥ kaḥ svit

ko bandhur uta kiṁ gṛham

ka āḍhyaḥ ko daridro vā

kṛpaṇaḥ kaḥ ka īśvaraḥ

etān praśnān mama brūhi

viparītāṁś ca sat-pate

Translation

Śrī Uddhava said: My dear Lord Kṛṣṇa, O chastiser of the enemies, please tell me how many types of disciplinary regulations and regular daily duties there are. Also, my Lord, tell me what is mental equilibrium, what is self-control, and what is the actual meaning of tolerance and steadfastness. What are charity, austerity and heroism, and how are reality and truth to be described? What is renunciation, and what is wealth? What is desirable, what is sacrifice, and what is religious remuneration? My dear Keśava, O most fortunate one, how am I to understand the strength, opulence and profit of a particular person? What is the best education, what is actual humility, and what is real beauty? What are happiness and unhappiness? Who is learned, and who is a fool? What are the true and the false paths in life, and what are heaven and hell? Who is indeed a true friend, and what is one’s real home? Who is a rich man, and who is a poor man? Who is wretched, and who is an actual controller? O Lord of the devotees, kindly explain these matters to me, along with their opposites.

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.

Seek Kṛṣṇa’s Definitions of Life’s Values

  1. 1

    Śrī Uddhava asks Lord Kṛṣṇa about discipline, daily duties, self-control, tolerance and many other aspects of life. His questions seek their actual meaning, not merely familiar labels.

  2. 2

    Different cultures and societies define these universal matters in different ways. Uddhava therefore approaches Lord Kṛṣṇa directly as the supreme authority for standard definitions.

  3. 3

    Uddhava asks about happiness and unhappiness, wisdom and foolishness, and true and false paths. He respectfully asks the Lord of the devotees to explain these matters along with their opposites.

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.