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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
11.2.3811.2.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.39

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Kavisince 11.2.33inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

श‍ृण्वन् सुभद्राणि रथाङ्गपाणे-

र्जन्मानि कर्माणि च यानि लोके ।

गीतानि नामानि तदर्थकानि

गायन् विलज्जो विचरेदसङ्ग: ॥ ३९ ॥

śṛṇvan su-bhadrāṇi rathāṅga-pāṇer

janmāni karmāṇi ca yāni loke

gītāni nāmāni tad-arthakāni

gāyan vilajjo vicared asaṅgaḥ

Translation

An intelligent person who has controlled his mind and conquered fear should give up all attachment to material objects such as wife, family and nation and should wander freely without embarrassment, hearing and chanting the holy names of the Lord, the bearer of the chariot wheel. The holy names of Kṛṣṇa are all-auspicious because they describe His transcendental birth and activities, which He performs within this world for the salvation of the conditioned souls. Thus the holy names of the Lord are sung throughout the world.

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.

Joyfully Hear and Chant Kṛṣṇa’s Names

  1. 1

    The Lord’s holy names describe His transcendental appearances and activities and are all-auspicious. Hearing and chanting them without material conceptions is a joyful path of devotional service.

  2. 2

    One should give up material sense gratification and chant without mental speculation. Accept Kṛṣṇa as He presents Himself: the Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose transcendental form is eternal.

  3. 3

    Successful hearing and chanting follow the authorized disciplic succession, confirmed by the spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures. Wandering freely does not mean acting without discrimination or seeking association that turns one away from Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • Within this world, Lord Rāma and Lord Kṛṣṇa are very famous.
  • One must accept Lord Kṛṣṇa as He presents Himself in Bhagavad-gītā, wherein He states that He alone is Puruṣottama, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that His transcendental form is eternal (ajo ’pi sann avyayātmā).
  • If one accepts a bona fide spiritual master, follows the example of great saintly persons and becomes conversant with authorized literature such as Bhagavad-gītā As It Is and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, one’s program of chanting the holy names of the Lord and hearing about the Lord’s pastimes will be completely successful.

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 11.2.39 quotesBG 4.9

As Kṛṣṇa states in Bhagavad-gītā (4.9): “One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in the material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna.”

The purport of SB 11.2.39 quotesCC Madhya 22.87

Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu has stated, asat-saṅga-tyāga — ei vaiṣṇava ācāra: a Vaiṣṇava is known by his complete avoidance of all mundane association.

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. śṛṇvanhearing
  2. su-bhadrāṇiall-auspicious
  3. ratha-aṅga-pāṇeḥof the Supreme Lord, who holds a chariot wheel in His hand (in His pastime of fighting with grandfather Bhīṣma)
  4. janmānithe appearances
  5. karmāṇiactivities
  6. caand
  7. yāniwhich
  8. lokein this world
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attachment”, “material”, “sense gratification”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “give up”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I approach chanting more joyfully while respecting the guidance of the spiritual master, saintly persons and scriptures?

Practice

Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā As It Is, then chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra while remembering that Kṛṣṇa’s form and activities are transcendental.

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 todayJoyfully Hear and Chant Kṛṣṇa’s NamesThis 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 11.2.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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