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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
11.2.4011.2.42

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.41

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

खं वायुमग्निं सलिलं महीं च

ज्योतींषि सत्त्वानि दिशो द्रुमादीन् ।

सरित्समुद्रांश्च हरे: शरीरं

यत् किंच भूतं प्रणमेदनन्य: ॥ ४१ ॥

khaṁ vāyum agniṁ salilaṁ mahīṁ ca

jyotīṁṣi sattvāni diśo drumādīn

sarit-samudrāṁś ca hareḥ śarīraṁ

yat kiṁ ca bhūtaṁ praṇamed ananyaḥ

Translation

A devotee should not see anything as being separate from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa. Ether, fire, air, water, earth, the sun and other luminaries, all living beings, the directions, trees and other plants, the rivers and oceans — whatever a devotee experiences he should consider to be an expansion of Kṛṣṇa. Thus seeing everything that exists within creation as the body of the Supreme Lord, Hari, the devotee should offer his sincere respects to the entire expansion of the Lord’s body.

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.

Respect Everything as Kṛṣṇa’s Energy

  1. 1

    A devotee sees nothing as separate from Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. All living beings and everything within creation are expansions of His energy and deserve sincere respect.

  2. 2

    Everything is called the Lord’s body because everything is under His control. This does not mean that the material universe and the Lord, with His unique spiritual qualities, are identical in every respect.

  3. 3

    Just as sunshine expands from the sun, the Lord’s energies expand from Him while He retains His personal form. Devotional vision recognizes everything’s connection with Kṛṣṇa rather than overlooking Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Kṛṣṇa is supremely sacred, being the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and since everything that exists expands directly or indirectly from the body of the Lord, everything is sacred when seen through the eyes of a self-realized person.
  • This universe is a transformation of that spiritual energy, and therefore everything that exists is in one sense connected directly with the personal body of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Similarly, everything that exists is an expansion of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and should be respected accordingly.

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· 3

The purport of SB 11.2.41 quotesCC Madhya 6.169

Māyāvādi-bhāṣya śunile haya sarva-nāśa. If we try to understand Kṛṣṇa alone, without the expansion of His potency, we shall not understand such statements in Bhagavad-gītā as vāsudevaḥ sarvam and ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavaḥ.

The purport of SB 11.2.41 quotesBG 5.29

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (5.29), suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānām: Kṛṣṇa is the well-wishing friend of every living being.

The purport of SB 11.2.41 quotesBG 12.5

Therefore as stated in Bhagavad-gītā (12.5), kleśo ’dhikataras teṣām: the impersonal path of imaginary philosophy is very painful to follow.

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:

Whatever one does with his body, mind, words, intelligence, consciousness, senses and natural proclivities should all be offered to Lord Nārāyaṇa. Living entities averse to the Lord’s lotus feet come under the control of the Lord’s illusory energy, māyā.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. khamether
  2. vāyumair
  3. agnimfire
  4. salilamwater
  5. mahīmearth
  6. caand
  7. jyotīṁṣithe sun, moon and other celestial luminaries
  8. sattvāniall living beings
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: “devotee”, “devotional”

  • 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

What do I usually overlook that I could learn to respect as Kṛṣṇa’s energy?

Practice

Pause before a tree or a body of water today and offer sincere respects, remembering its connection with Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRespect Everything as Kṛṣṇa’s EnergyThis 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 11.2.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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