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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
11.22.5011.22.52

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.22.51

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 11.22.37inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

प्रकृतेरेवमात्मानमविविच्याबुध: पुमान् ।

तत्त्वेन स्पर्शसम्मूढ: संसारं प्रतिपद्यते ॥ ५१ ॥

prakṛter evam ātmānam

avivicyābudhaḥ pumān

tattvena sparśa-sammūḍhaḥ

saṁsāraṁ pratipadyate

Translation

An unintelligent man, failing to distinguish himself from material nature, thinks nature to be real. By contact with it he becomes completely bewildered and enters into the cycle of material existence.

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.

Mistaken Identity Brings Material Misery

  1. 1

    Failing to distinguish oneself from material nature leads to bewilderment and the cycle of material existence.

  2. 2

    The living entity is transcendental to the three modes of material nature. Yet the external energy makes him think of himself as a material product.

  3. 3

    Through this mistaken identification, the living entity undergoes the reactions of material miseries.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 11.22.51 quotesSB 1.7.5

A similar verse is found in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.5): “Due to this external energy, the living entity, although transcendental to the three modes of material nature, thinks of himself as a material product and thus undergoes the reactions of material miseries.”

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 22: Enumeration of the Elements of Material Creation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But when there is no knowledge of the true facts, the living entity, confused by the objects of sense gratification, achieves his destinations within the cycle of material existence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.22
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prakṛteḥfrom material nature
  2. evamin this way
  3. ātmānamthe self
  4. avivicyafailing to distinguish
  5. abudhaḥthe unintelligent
  6. pumānperson
  7. tattvenabecause of thinking (material things) to be real
  8. sparśaby material contact
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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

When do I think of myself only as a product of material nature?

Practice

Pause once today when a bodily label defines your thinking, and remember that the living entity is transcendental to the three modes of nature.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.7.5

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.22's connections

Live this todayMistaken Identity Brings Material MiseryThis 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 11.22.51? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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