1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
11.23.5111.23.53

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.23.52

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

आत्मा यदि स्यात् सुखदु:खहेतु:

किमन्यतस्तत्र निजस्वभाव: ।

न ह्यात्मनोऽन्यद् यदि तन्मृषा स्यात्

क्रुध्येत कस्मान्न सुखं न दु:खम् ॥ ५२ ॥

ātmā yadi syāt sukha-duḥkha-hetuḥ

kim anyatas tatra nija-svabhāvaḥ

na hy ātmano ’nyad yadi tan mṛṣā syāt

krudhyeta kasmān na sukhaṁ na duḥkham

Translation

If the soul himself were the cause of happiness and distress, then we could not blame others, since happiness and distress would be simply the nature of the soul. According to this theory, nothing except the soul actually exists, and if we were to perceive something besides the soul, that would be illusion. Therefore, since happiness and distress do not actually exist in this concept, why become angry at oneself or others?

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.

True Happiness Is in Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Pleasure and pain are experienced through consciousness, but material enjoyment and suffering are not the soul’s original function. They arise from ignorant affection and enmity based on false ego.

  2. 2

    Sense gratification draws consciousness into bodily identification and its inevitable pains. On the spiritual platform, consciousness is fully engaged in devotional service to the Supreme Lord without personal desire.

  3. 3

    This devotional service is the actual position of happiness, beyond material happiness and distress. Rather than becoming uselessly angry, one should take to self-realization.

Key points from the purport
  • Because a dead body does not feel pleasure or pain, our happiness and distress are due to our own consciousness, which is the nature of the soul.
  • It is not, however, the original function of the soul to enjoy material happiness and suffer material distress.
  • On the spiritual platform there is neither material happiness nor distress because there the living consciousness is fully engaged, without personal desire, in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord.

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. ātmāthe soul himself
  2. yadiif
  3. syātshould be
  4. sukha-duḥkhaof happiness and distress
  5. hetuḥthe cause
  6. kimwhat
  7. anyataḥother
  8. tatrain that theory
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 11.23

    In this verse: “illusion”, “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”, “suffering”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.23

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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 can I turn energy spent on blame toward devotional service?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for devotional service to the Supreme Lord, without asking for personal gain.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTrue Happiness Is in Devotional ServiceThis 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 11.23.52? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories