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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 23: The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa
11.23.4911.23.51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.23.50

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇasince 11.23.42inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe Avantī brāhmaṇa → himself

जनस्तु हेतु: सुखदु:खयोश्चेत्

किमात्मनश्चात्र हि भौमयोस्तत् ।

जिह्वां क्व‍‍चित् सन्दशति स्वदद्भ‍ि-

स्तद्वेदनायां कतमाय कुप्येत् ॥ ५० ॥

janas tu hetuḥ sukha-duḥkhayoś cet

kim ātmanaś cātra hi bhaumayos tat

jihvāṁ kvacit sandaśati sva-dadbhis

tad-vedanāyāṁ katamāya kupyet

Translation

If you say that these people are the cause of my happiness and distress, then where is the place of the soul in such a conception? This happiness and distress pertain not to the soul but to the interactions of material bodies. If someone bites his tongue with his own teeth, at whom can he become angry in his suffering?

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.

Replace Harmful Anger with Spiritual Friendship

  1. 1

    Although the soul feels bodily pleasure and pain, one should tolerate this duality as a creation of the material mind. Biting one’s own tongue illustrates the futility of directing anger at another part.

  2. 2

    All living beings are individual parts and parcels of God, meant to serve Him in spiritual equality. Recognizing their shared connection with the Supreme Lord allows friendship to develop.

  3. 3

    Harmful anger injures oneself and others. The brāhmaṇa did not regard those helping or hurting him as the ultimate cause of his happiness and distress.

Key points from the purport
  • Although bodily pleasure and pain are felt by the soul, one must tolerate such duality, understanding it to be a creation of one’s own material mind.
  • Similarly, all living beings are individual parts and parcels of God, and thus nondifferent from each other.
  • Although the brāhmaṇa was receiving kind offerings of charity from some people and being harassed and beaten by others, he denied that these people were the ultimate cause of his happiness and distress, for he was fixed on the platform of self-realization beyond the material body and mind.

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 23: The Song of the Avantī Brāhmaṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Neither mortal persons, the demigods, the soul, the ruling planets, the reactions of work nor time are the causes of one’s happiness and distress. Rather, the mind alone is their cause, because it is the mind that makes the spirit soul wander in the cycle of material life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.23
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. janaḥthese people
  2. tubut
  3. hetuḥthe cause
  4. sukha-duḥkhayoḥof my happiness and distress
  5. cetif
  6. kimwhat
  7. ātmanaḥfor the self
  8. caand
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 11.23

    In this verse: “suffering”, “distress”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.23

    In this verse: “material”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.23

    In this verse: “friendship”

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 seeing another person as part of the Supreme Lord’s family soften my anger?

Practice

In one tense interaction today, refrain from a hurtful reply and remember your shared purpose of serving the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReplace Harmful Anger with Spiritual FriendshipThis 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 11.23.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.