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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 22: Enumeration of the Elements of Material Creation
11.22.1411.22.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.22.15

Sarga· Creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 11.22.4inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

श्रोत्रं त्वग्दर्शनं घ्राणो जिह्वेति ज्ञानशक्तय: ।

वाक्पाण्युपस्थपाय्वङ्‍‍घ्रि: कर्माण्यङ्गोभयं मन: ॥ १५ ॥

śrotraṁ tvag darśanaṁ ghrāṇo

jihveti jñāna-śaktayaḥ

vāk-pāṇy-upastha-pāyv-aṅghriḥ

karmāṇy aṅgobhayaṁ manaḥ

Translation

Hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste are the five knowledge-acquiring senses, My dear Uddhava, and speech, the hands, the genitals, the anus and the legs constitute the five working senses. The mind belongs to both these categories.

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.

The Mind Shares Both Sensory Roles

  1. 1

    Hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste are the five knowledge-acquiring senses.

  2. 2

    Speech, the hands, the genitals, the anus and the legs are the five working senses.

  3. 3

    The mind belongs to both categories. Together, these make eleven elements.

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 22: Enumeration of the Elements of Material Creation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The twenty-five elements of nature are the Lord, nature, the mahat, false ego, ether, air, fire, water, earth, the eyes, the ears, the nose, the tongue, the skin, speech, the hands, the feet, the genitals, the anus, the mind, sound, touch, form, taste and smell. The unmanifest Supreme Personality merely glances at nature.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrotramthe sense of hearing
  2. tvakthe sense of touch, experienced upon the skin
  3. darśanamsight
  4. ghrāṇaḥsmell
  5. jihvāthe sense of taste, experienced upon the tongue
  6. itithus
  7. jñāna-śaktayaḥthe knowledge-acquiring senses
  8. vākspeech
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sarga · The creation of the universe

    Where does the universe come from? · Subject 1 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.22

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.22

    In this verse: “knowledge-acquiring”

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

How do I notice my mind participating in both perception and action?

Practice

While doing one simple task today, identify a knowledge-acquiring sense, a working sense and the mind’s involvement.

Live this todayThe Mind Shares Both Sensory RolesThis 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 11.22.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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