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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 25: The Three Modes of Nature and Beyond
11.25.2011.25.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.25.21

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.25.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

उपर्युपरि गच्छन्ति सत्त्वेन ब्राह्मणा जना: ।

तमसाधोऽध आमुख्याद् रजसान्तरचारिण: ॥ २१ ॥

upary upari gacchanti

sattvena brāhmaṇā janāḥ

tamasādho ’dha ā-mukhyād

rajasāntara-cāriṇaḥ

Translation

Learned persons dedicated to Vedic culture are elevated by the mode of goodness to higher and higher positions. The mode of ignorance, on the other hand, forces one to fall headfirst into lower and lower births. And by the mode of passion one continues transmigrating through human bodies.

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 Modes Shape Future Births

  1. 1

    Those in goodness hanker after perfect knowledge and are called brāhmaṇas. They may rise as high as Brahmaloka, the supreme material position.

  2. 2

    Those in ignorance mistake the gross material body for the self and gradually fall into lower births, including unmoving species.

  3. 3

    Passion fosters desires for wealth, prestige and power. A person satisfying material desires within Vedic culture is allowed to remain in human society.

Key points from the purport
  • Śūdras, persons in the mode of ignorance, are generally in deep illusion about the purpose of life, accepting the gross material body as the self.
  • Those in passion and ignorance are called vaiśyas and hanker intensely for wealth, whereas kṣatriyas, who are in the mode of passion, are eager for prestige and power.
  • One who is in the mode of ignorance gradually falls to the level of unmoving species, such as trees and stones, while one in the mode of passion, filled with material desire but satisfying it within Vedic culture, is allowed to remain in human society.

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 25: The Three Modes of Nature and Beyond

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

On the other hand, one who hankers after the fruits of his worship of the Lord is passionate by nature. And one who desires violence is in the mode of ignorance.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.25
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. upari uparihigher and higher
  2. gacchantithey go
  3. sattvenaby the mode of goodness
  4. brāhmaṇāḥpersons dedicated to Vedic principles
  5. janāḥsuch men
  6. tamasāby the mode of ignorance
  7. adhaḥ adhaḥlower and lower
  8. ā-mukhyātheadfirst
  9. rajasāby the mode of passion
  10. antara-cāriṇaḥremaining in intermediate situations
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 11.25

    In this verse: “wealth”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.25

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Am I more eager for knowledge or for wealth, prestige and power?

Practice

Write down one desire you pursued today and consider whether it was for knowledge, wealth, prestige or power.

Live this todayThe Modes Shape Future BirthsThis 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 11.25.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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