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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
11.2.4711.2.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.2.48

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Havirsince 11.2.45inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

गृहीत्वापीन्द्रियैरर्थान्यो न द्वेष्टि न हृष्यति ।

विष्णोर्मायामिदं पश्यन्स वै भागवतोत्तम: ॥ ४८ ॥

gṛhītvāpīndriyair arthān

yo na dveṣṭi na hṛṣyati

viṣṇor māyām idaṁ paśyan

sa vai bhāgavatottamaḥ

Translation

Even while engaging his senses in contact with their objects, one who sees this whole world as the energy of Lord Viṣṇu is neither repelled nor elated. He is indeed the greatest among devotees.

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.

See Everything as the Lord’s Energy

  1. 1

    A first-class devotee sees the entire material universe as the energy and property of the Supreme Lord. Without personal desires for gain, such a devotee is neither elated by acquisition nor distressed by loss.

  2. 2

    This satisfaction comes from experiencing the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Kṛṣṇa, who is a reservoir of transcendental bliss. It is not achieved by artificially pushing material things out of the mind.

  3. 3

    We are eternal persons and servants of Kṛṣṇa; pure devotional service is our goal. To advance toward it, we should associate with and faithfully serve a pure devotee whose heart is free from the propensity to criticize others.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the position of the uttama-adhikārī, or first-class devotee of the Lord, is so worshipable that additional symptoms are now given in eight verses.
  • According to Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī the words gṛhītvāpīndriyair arthān indicate that the pure devotee of the Lord does not cease acting within this world; rather, he uses his senses in the service of the Lord of the senses, Hṛṣīkeśa.
  • According to Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura, if one engages in phalgu-vairāgya, or renouncing material things that are favorable to the service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, one runs the risk of being polluted by impersonal philosophy.

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 11.2.48 quotesBG 18.54

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (18.54): “One who is transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful.

The purport of SB 11.2.48 quotesSB 6.17.28

For them the heavenly planets, liberation and the hellish planets are all the same, for such devotees are interested only in the service of the Lord.”

The purport of SB 11.2.48 quotesBG 2.59

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.59), rasa-varjaṁ raso ’py asya paraṁ dṛṣṭvā nivartate.

The purport of SB 11.2.48 quotesBG 12.5

dehavadbhir avāpyate. According to Lord Kṛṣṇa, it is only with great inconvenience and suffering that one can achieve impersonal liberation, because every living being is eternally a person, being part and parcel of the Supreme Person, Kṛṣṇa.

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. gṛhītvāaccepting
  2. apieven though
  3. indriyaiḥwith his senses
  4. arthānobjects of the senses
  5. yaḥwho
  6. na dveṣṭidoes not hate
  7. na hṛṣyatidoes not rejoice
  8. viṣṇoḥof the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu
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”, “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “free from”

  • 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 belongs to the Lord change my response to gain or loss?

Practice

When you notice one desirable object today, pause and remember that it is the Lord’s energy and belongs to Him.

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 todaySee Everything as the Lord’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 11.2.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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