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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
11.2.2811.2.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.29

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Nimisince 11.2.28inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

दुर्लभो मानुषो देहो देहिनां क्षणभङ्गुर: ।

तत्रापि दुर्लभं मन्ये वैकुण्ठप्रियदर्शनम् ॥ २९ ॥

durlabho mānuṣo deho

dehināṁ kṣaṇa-bhaṅguraḥ

tatrāpi durlabhaṁ manye

vaikuṇṭha-priya-darśanam

Translation

For the conditioned souls, the human body is most difficult to achieve, and it can be lost at any moment. But I think that even those who have achieved human life rarely gain the association of pure devotees, who are dear to the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha.

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.

Treasure Human Life and Devotee Association

  1. 1

    The human body is rarely achieved and can be lost at any moment. According to our activities, we may be elevated or degraded into another form of life.

  2. 2

    Human intelligence is a gift for distinguishing the eternal from the temporary. This life offers the opportunity to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness rather than remain in a world of old age and death.

  3. 3

    Even rarer than human life is the association of pure devotees who are dear to the Lord. They have accepted the Supreme Lord and His abode as life's ultimate goal, and their association is the perfection of human life.

Key points from the purport
  • According to some wishful thinkers a living entity in the human form of life will never be degraded to a lower form such as that of an animal or plant.
  • Therefore, it is urgent that people be informed of the great danger of misusing the valuable human life and that they know of the great opportunity the human life affords, the opportunity to take to Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
  • Any human being who has achieved these excellent facilities of human life but does not cross over the material ocean is to be considered the killer of his own self.”

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· 4

The purport of SB 11.2.29 quotesBG 8.16

But the Supreme Lord, Kṛṣṇa, declares in Bhagavad-gītā (8.16), ābrahma-bhuvanāl lokāḥ punar āvartino ’rjuna.

The purport of SB 11.2.29 quotesBG 2.16

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.16): “Those who are seers of the truth have concluded that matter has no permanent existence whereas the spirit soul never ceases to exist.

The purport of SB 11.2.29 quotesSB 11.20.17

Any human being who has achieved these excellent facilities of human life but does not cross over the material ocean is to be considered the killer of his own self.”

The purport of SB 11.2.29 quotesBG 9.2

As the Lord states in Bhagavad-gītā (9.2), susukhaṁ kartum avyayam.

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:

The human body can be lost at any moment, but it is still a very rare attainment. Still rarer is to get the association of the confidential devotees of the Lord of Vaikuṇṭha while in this very human body.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. durlabhaḥdifficult to achieve
  2. mānuṣaḥhuman
  3. dehaḥbody
  4. dehināmfor embodied beings
  5. kṣaṇa-bhaṅguraḥprone to be destroyed at any moment
  6. tatrain that human body
  7. apieven
  8. durlabhammore difficult to achieve
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 11.2

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could I use my rare human life to seek the association of those devoted to the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to hear a devotee's teachings on Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTreasure Human Life and Devotee AssociationThis 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 11.2.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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