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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
11.21.611.21.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.21.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
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

देशकालादिभावानां वस्तूनां मम सत्तम ।

गुणदोषौ विधीयेते नियमार्थं हि कर्मणाम् ॥ ७ ॥

deśa-kālādi-bhāvānāṁ

vastūnāṁ mama sattama

guṇa-doṣau vidhīyete

niyamārthaṁ hi karmaṇām

Translation

O saintly Uddhava, in order to restrict materialistic activities, I have established that which is proper and improper among all material things, including time, space and all physical objects.

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.

Accept Restraint for Lasting Spiritual Good

  1. 1

    The conditioned soul often calls immediate bodily satisfaction good and inconvenience bad. Higher intelligence considers long-term benefit, just as one accepts bitter medicine to cure disease.

  2. 2

    Vedic distinctions between proper and improper restrict materialistic activities and gradually bring one to goodness. Submission to these instructions also diminishes false pride.

  3. 3

    Material goodness makes one eligible for service, but mundane piety alone cannot bring one back to Godhead. Loving service in Kṛṣṇa consciousness brings direct contact with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, Vedic literature restricts the sinful propensities of human beings by establishing what is proper and what is improper among all the objects and activities of the material world.
  • By designating and restricting the exploitation of the material world, Vedic knowledge gradually brings a conditioned soul to the platform of material goodness.
  • In the previous verse the Lord explained why Vedic literatures assign different values to the bodies of different living entities, and here the Lord explains the Vedic value system in regard to the material objects that interact with these bodies.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

They are inimical to Lord Kṛṣṇa, attached to sense gratification, and are dominated by fruitive activities aimed at fulfillment of material desires. This chapter describes their faults in terms of place, time, substance and beneficiary of actions.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.21
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. deśaof space
  2. kālatime
  3. ādiand so on
  4. bhāvānāmof such states of existence
  5. vastūnāmof things
  6. mamaby Me
  7. sat-tamaO most saintly Uddhava
  8. guṇa-doṣaupiety and sin
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “materialistic”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 11.21

    In this verse: “pride”

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

What immediate pleasure might I need to restrain for my lasting spiritual benefit?

Practice

Choose a meal today without meat, fish or eggs, remembering that such restraint supports progress toward the Lord’s service.

Live this todayAccept Restraint for Lasting Spiritual GoodThis 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 11.21.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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