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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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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 26: The Aila-gītā
11.26.19-2011.26.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.26.21

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Ailasince 11.26.7inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaKing Aila → himself

त्वङ्‍मांसरुधिरस्‍नायुमेदोमज्जास्थिसंहतौ ।

विण्मूत्रपूये रमतां कृमीणां कियदन्तरम् ॥ २१ ॥

tvaṅ-māṁsa-rudhira-snāyu-

medo-majjāsthi-saṁhatau

viṇ-mūtra-pūye ramatāṁ

kṛmīṇāṁ kiyad antaram

Translation

What difference is there between ordinary worms and persons who try to enjoy this material body composed of skin, flesh, blood, muscle, fat, marrow, bone, stool, urine and pus?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Question the Pursuit of Bodily Enjoyment

  1. 1

    The verse describes the body through its material components, including skin, flesh, blood, muscle, fat, marrow and bone.

  2. 2

    It also names stool, urine and pus. This description challenges an idealized view of the body as an object of enjoyment.

  3. 3

    The verse asks what difference there is between ordinary worms and people intent on enjoying such a body. It invites serious reflection on the value of bodily enjoyment.

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 26: The Aila-gītā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He described that persons who are attached to the body of a woman (or a man) — which is simply a mass of skin, meat, blood, sinew, brain tissue, marrow and bones — are not much different from worms. What is the worth of the education, austerity, renunciation, reception of the Vedas, solitary living and silence of one whose mind becomes stolen away by the body of a woman?
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.26
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvakout of skin
  2. māṁsaflesh
  3. rudhirablood
  4. snāyumuscle
  5. medaḥfat
  6. majjāmarrow
  7. asthiand bone
  8. saṁhataucomposed
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 11.26

    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

What value am I placing on bodily enjoyment when I consider what the body contains?

Practice

Read the verse's list of bodily components once slowly, and reconsider one desire centered on bodily enjoyment.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayQuestion the Pursuit of Bodily EnjoymentThis 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 11.26.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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