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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 2: Mahārāja Nimi Meets the Nine Yogendras
11.2.20-2111.2.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.22

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 11.2.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Vasudeva

त एते भगवद्रूपं विश्वं सदसदात्मकम् ।

आत्मनोऽव्यतिरेकेण पश्यन्तो व्यचरन् महीम् ॥ २२ ॥

ta ete bhagavad-rūpaṁ

viśvaṁ sad-asad-ātmakam

ātmano ’vyatirekeṇa

paśyanto vyacaran mahīm

Translation

These sages wandered the earth seeing the entire universe, with all its gross and subtle objects, as a manifestation of the Supreme Lord and as nondifferent from the self.

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.

Everything Is Related to the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The nine sages were pure devotees situated in the highest stage of spiritual perfection. They saw the entire universe as a manifestation of the Supreme Lord’s energy.

  2. 2

    The universe is nondifferent from Lord Kṛṣṇa because it comes from His energy, yet He remains aloof from it. Neither the Lord nor the living entity is material.

  3. 3

    Living beings are qualitatively one with the Lord, but never equal to or greater than Him. We are infinitesimal spiritual beings, eternally subordinate to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • One may therefore ask why the living entity and the Supreme Lord are stated to be nondifferent from the material universe.
  • Therefore, in one sense, the living entity is also not different from the material cosmic manifestation, which is an inferior sister energy of the Lord.
  • And because every living entity is qualitatively one with the Supreme Lord, that relationship constitutes the essence of the ultimate reality for every living being.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 2

The purport of SB 11.2.22 quotesSB 1.5.20

The question is very nicely answered by Śrīla Nārada Muni in the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.20).

The purport of SB 11.2.22 quotesCC Madhya 20.108-109

As stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Madhya 20.108), jīvera ‘svarūpa’ haya — kṛṣṇera ‘nitya-dāsa.’

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Foreboding → Devotional urgency. Uddhava realizes that Kṛṣṇa's visible association is nearing an end.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 11: The Yadu curse, the nine Yogendras and farewell signs. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Mahārāja Nimi Meets the Nine Yogendras

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

They were direct associates of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Madhusūdana, and wandered freely to give protection to the various planets in the universe. The human body can be lost at any moment, but it is still a very rare attainment.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. te etethese (nine Yogendras)
  2. bhagavatof the Supreme Lord
  3. rūpama form
  4. viśvamthe entire universe
  5. sat-asat-ātmakamconsisting of both gross and subtle objects
  6. ātmanaḥfrom the self
  7. avyatirekeṇaas nondifferent
  8. paśyantaḥseeing
  9. vyacaranthey wandered
  10. mahīmthe earth
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that everything comes from Kṛṣṇa change the way you see your surroundings?

Practice

Pause before one object in your surroundings and remember that its energy comes from Kṛṣṇa, who remains its supreme source.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.2's connections

Live this todayEverything Is Related to the Supreme 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 11.2.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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