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 24: The Philosophy of Sāṅkhya
11.24.1711.24.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.24.18

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Kṛṣṇasince 11.24.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

यदुपादाय पूर्वस्तु भावो विकुरुतेऽपरम् ।

आदिरन्तो यदा यस्य तत् सत्यमभिधीयते ॥ १८ ॥

yad upādāya pūrvas tu

bhāvo vikurute ’param

ādir anto yadā yasya

tat satyam abhidhīyate

Translation

A material object, itself composed of an essential ingredient, creates another material object through transformation. Thus one created object becomes the cause and basis of another created object. A particular thing may thus be called real in that it possesses the basic nature of another object that constitutes its origin and final state.

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 Supreme Lord Is the Ultimate Cause

  1. 1

    A pot comes from clay, and clay comes from earth. Each created thing can become the ingredient cause of another through transformation.

  2. 2

    A pot is called real because it possesses the essential characteristics of clay, which exists before and after it. Similarly, earth and the other elements possess the essential characteristics of the mahat-tattva.

  3. 3

    The mahat-tattva is ultimately created by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the cause of all causes. He remains after everything is annihilated and gives meaning and character to all that exists.

Key points from the purport
  • One may understand the purport of this verse through the simple analogy of a clay pot.
  • In this case earth is the original ingredient forming the clay lump, and the clay lump is in a sense the original cause of the pot.
  • Similarly, earth exists before and after the clay, and thus clay may be considered real because it possesses the essential characteristics of earth, which exists before and after the existence of the clay.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 10.87.15

A particular thing may be called real in that it possesses the basic nature of another object that constitutes its cause and original state.”

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 24: The Philosophy of Sāṅkhya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This universe of material action and reaction is constituted under the control of time and the three modes of material nature. Moreover, whatever exists in this universe is simply the product of the combination of material nature and her Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.24
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatwhich (form)
  2. upādāyaaccepting as the ingredient cause
  3. pūrvaḥthe previous cause (such as the mahat-tattva)
  4. tuand
  5. bhāvaḥthing
  6. vikuruteproduces as transformation
  7. aparamthe second thing (such as the element ahaṅkāra)
  8. ādiḥthe beginning
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.24

    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

How does tracing created things to their causes help me recognize the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Trace the example aloud once today: pot, clay, earth, mahat-tattva, and ultimately the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Is the Ultimate CauseThis 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 11.24.18? 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