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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
11.22.2811.22.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.22.29

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.22.29inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

श्रीभगवानुवाच

प्रकृति: पुरुषश्चेति विकल्प: पुरुषर्षभ ।

एष वैकारिक: सर्गो गुणव्यतिकरात्मक: ॥ २९ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

prakṛtiḥ puruṣaś ceti

vikalpaḥ puruṣarṣabha

eṣa vaikārikaḥ sargo

guṇa-vyatikarātmakaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: O best among men, material nature and its enjoyer are clearly distinct. This manifest creation undergoes constant transformation, being founded upon the agitation of the modes of nature.

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 Soul Is Distinct From Changing Matter

  1. 1

    Material nature constantly changes and depends on its creator, maintainer and annihilator. The Supreme Lord is absolute, independent and fully knowing.

  2. 2

    The material body changes continually, whereas the living entity remains eternally the same. The individual soul shares the Personality of Godhead's eternality, bliss and knowledge.

  3. 3

    In God's transcendental kingdom, there is no conflict caused by creation, maintenance and destruction. Variety is united in the loving experience of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, the soul's natural position.

Key points from the purport
  • Material nature, subject to transformation, is full of duality, whereas the Lord is one and absolute.
  • The individual living entity shares the eternality, bliss and knowledge of the Personality of Godhead and is also completely distinct from material nature.
  • The material body undergoes constant transformation and is thus clearly different from the living entity, who is eternally the same.

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:

Material creation is produced from the modes of prakṛti, and its quality is transformation. The living entities who are inimical to the Supreme Personality of Godhead take on and give up various kinds of material bodies through the agency of their own material work.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. prakṛtiḥnature
  3. puruṣaḥthe enjoyer, living entity
  4. caand
  5. itithus
  6. vikalpaḥcomplete distinction
  7. puruṣa-ṛṣabhaO best among men
  8. eṣaḥthis
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.22

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.22

    In this verse: “kingdom”

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 might remembering the soul's unchanging nature affect my response to bodily changes?

Practice

Notice one change in your body today and briefly reflect that the soul is distinct from that change.

Live this todayThe Soul Is Distinct From Changing MatterThis 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 11.22.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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