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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
11.2.3911.2.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.40

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

एवंव्रत: स्वप्रियनामकीर्त्या

जातानुरागो द्रुतचित्त उच्चै: ।

हसत्यथो रोदिति रौति गाय-

त्युन्मादवन्नृत्यति लोकबाह्य: ॥ ४० ॥

evaṁ-vrataḥ sva-priya-nāma-kīrtyā

jātānurāgo druta-citta uccaiḥ

hasaty atho roditi rauti gāyaty

unmāda-van nṛtyati loka-bāhyaḥ

Translation

By chanting the holy name of the Supreme Lord, one comes to the stage of love of Godhead. Then the devotee is fixed in his vow as an eternal servant of the Lord, and he gradually becomes very much attached to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As his heart melts with ecstatic love, he laughs very loudly or cries or shouts. Sometimes he sings and dances like a madman, for he is indifferent to public opinion.

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.

Sincere Chanting Awakens Love of Godhead

  1. 1

    Chanting the holy name leads to love of Godhead and fixes the devotee in the vow of eternal service. Attachment grows to a particular name and form of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Ecstatic symptoms arise naturally through sincere chanting; they should not be imitated. Devotion is judged by steadfastness and merciful speech, not merely by outward displays.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee is unconcerned with worldly praise or criticism. When Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, reveals Himself to His surrendered servant, doubt about the Absolute Truth disappears.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī has described this spiritual situation as samprāpta-prema-lakṣana-bhakti-yogasya saṁsāra-dharmātītāṁ gatim, or the perfectional stage of life in which one’s devotional service to the Supreme Lord is enriched by ecstatic love.
  • Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura has warned us in this regard about the ungodly sahajiyās who imitate the pastimes of the Supreme Lord in an unauthorized way, neglecting the standard injunctions of Vedic scriptures, foolishly trying to take the position of Kṛṣṇa as Puruṣottama, and thus making a cheap farce of the exalted pastimes of the Lord.
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura has given a very nice example to illustrate ecstatic laughing and other symptoms of love of Godhead: “‘Oh, that thief Kṛṣṇa, the son of Yaśodā, has entered the house to steal the fresh butter.

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· 5

The purport of SB 11.2.40 quotesCC Ādi 7.78

In Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 7.78), there is the following statement by Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu: “While chanting the holy name of the Lord in pure ecstasy, I lose myself, and thus I laugh, cry, dance and sing just like a madman.”

The purport of SB 11.2.40 quotesCC Ādi 7.83

“It is the nature of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra that anyone who chants it immediately develops his loving ecstasy for Kṛṣṇa.”

The purport of SB 11.2.40 quotesCC Ādi 7.85

“For a devotee who has actually developed bhāva [love of Godhead], the pleasure derived from dharma, artha, kāma and mokṣa appears like a drop in the presence of the sea.”

The purport of SB 11.2.40 quotesCC Ādi 7.76

In his purports to Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 7.76), Śrīla Prabhupāda has given an elaborate explanation of this verse.

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 7.93

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.2.40) was spoken by Śrī Nārada Muni to Vasudeva to teach him about bhāgavata-dharma.

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:

Just as by eating one gradually appeases his hunger and with every bite feels more and more satisfied and nourished, a surrendered devotee achieves detachment from all objects other than Kṛṣṇa, gains direct personal experience of the Lord and relishes pure love for the Lord, all simultaneously.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. evam-vrataḥwhen one thus engages in the vow to chant and dance
  2. svaown
  3. priyavery dear
  4. nāmaholy name
  5. kīrtyaby chanting
  6. jātain this way develops
  7. anurāgaḥattachment
  8. druta-cittaḥwith a melted heart
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”, “holy name”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 11.2

    In this verse: “love”, “ecstatic”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotee”, “devotion”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I give more attention to sincere chanting than to how others see me?

Practice

Spend a few minutes sincerely chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra, with the desire to serve rather than to display emotion.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySincere Chanting Awakens Love of GodheadThis 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 11.2.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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