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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
11.22.1511.22.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.22.16

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

शब्द: स्पर्शो रसो गन्धो रूपं चेत्यर्थजातय: ।

गत्युक्त्युत्सर्गशिल्पानि कर्मायतनसिद्धय: ॥ १६ ॥

śabdaḥ sparśo raso gandho

rūpaṁ cety artha-jātayaḥ

gaty-ukty-utsarga-śilpāni

karmāyatana-siddhayaḥ

Translation

Sound, touch, taste, smell and form are the objects of the knowledge-acquiring senses, and movement, speech, excretion and manufacture are functions of the working senses.

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.

Distinguishing Sense Objects From Sense Functions

  1. 1

    Sound, touch, taste, smell and form are the five objects of the knowledge-acquiring senses.

  2. 2

    Movement, speech, excretion and manufacture are functions of the working senses.

  3. 3

    Here utsarga, or excretion, includes evacuation by both the genitals and anus, so it counts as two elements. Thus the verse lists ten elements in two sets of five.

Key points from the purport
  • Here the word utsarga refers to evacuation by the genitals and anus, and thus constitutes two elements.
  • In this way ten elements are listed here in two sets of five.

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 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. śabdaḥsound
  2. sparśaḥtouch
  3. rasaḥtaste
  4. gandhaḥfragrance
  5. rūpamform
  6. caand
  7. itithus
  8. arthaof sense objects
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

  • 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

Can I distinguish what my senses perceive from what my working senses do?

Practice

Write two short lists: the five sense objects and the working-sense functions, counting the two forms of excretion separately.

Live this todayDistinguishing Sense Objects From Sense FunctionsThis 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 11.22.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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