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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 21: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Explanation of the Vedic Path
11.21.33-3411.21.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.21.35

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.21.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

वेदा ब्रह्मात्मविषयास्‍त्रिकाण्डविषया इमे ।

परोक्षवादा ऋषय: परोक्षं मम च प्रियम् ॥ ३५ ॥

vedā brahmātma-viṣayās

tri-kāṇḍa-viṣayā ime

parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ

parokṣaṁ mama ca priyam

Translation

The Vedas, divided into three divisions, ultimately reveal the living entity as pure spirit soul. The Vedic seers and mantras, however, deal in esoteric terms, and I also am pleased by such confidential descriptions.

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.

Vedic Knowledge Leads to Loving Service

  1. 1

    The actual purpose of Vedic literature is self-realization, not material enjoyment. The Vedas gradually lift the conditioned soul out of illusion into eternal loving service to the Lord.

  2. 2

    Vedic teachings sometimes offer material rewards to encourage purification. Mistaking these indirect teachings for the final goal leaves one on the platform of sense gratification.

  3. 3

    The most confidential knowledge concerns the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Faithfully hearing the Lord’s own message in Bhagavad-gītā fulfills the true purpose of Vedic knowledge and leads back to Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • In the previous verses Lord Kṛṣṇa clearly refuted the concept that Vedic knowledge is meant for material enjoyment, and here the Lord summarizes the actual purpose of Vedic literature: self-realization.
  • One may ask why the Lord Himself as well as the Lord’s representatives, the Vedic seers and mantras, speak in esoteric or indirect terms.
  • But one who depends upon the Lord Himself, faithfully hearing the Lord’s own message in Bhagavad-gītā, perfectly understands the entire situation and goes back home, back to Godhead, having fulfilled the true purpose of Vedic knowledge.

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· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.87.2

As Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself states in His instructions to Uddhava, parokṣa-vādā ṛṣayaḥ parokṣaṁ mama ca priyam: “The Vedic seers and mantras deal in esoteric terms, and I also am pleased by such confidential descriptions.”

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

Striving → Complete devotional trust. The Lord redirects Uddhava toward enduring loving service.

Chapters 21–29 of Canto 11: Spiritual practice culminating in bhakti-yoga. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 21: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Explanation of the Vedic Path

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But persons of inferior intelligence take the flowery benedictory verses of the scriptures to be the actual purport of the Vedas; this opinion, however, is never held by those in factual knowledge of the truth of the Vedas. Persons whose minds are agitated by the flowery words of the Vedas have no attraction for hearing topics about Lord Hari.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vedāḥthe Vedas
  2. brahma-ātmathe understanding that the soul is pure spirit
  3. viṣayāḥhaving as their subject matter
  4. tri-kāṇḍa-viṣayāḥdivided into three sections (which represent fruitive work, worship of demigods and realization of the Absolute Truth)
  5. imethese
  6. parokṣa-vādāḥspeaking esoterically
  7. ṛṣayaḥthe Vedic authorities
  8. parokṣamindirect explanation
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.21

    In this verse: “spirit soul”, “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.21

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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.21

    In this verse: “hearing”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I hearing spiritual teachings to deepen loving service or mainly to gain material benefits?

Practice

Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā today with the intention of understanding and serving the Lord.

Live this todayVedic Knowledge Leads to Loving ServiceThis 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 11.21.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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