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 26: The Aila-gītā
11.26.2911.26.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.26.30

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.26.25inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

भक्तिं लब्धवत: साधो: किमन्यदवशिष्यते ।

मय्यनन्तगुणे ब्रह्मण्यानन्दानुभवात्मनि ॥ ३० ॥

bhaktiṁ labdhavataḥ sādhoḥ

kim anyad avaśiṣyate

mayy ananta-guṇe brahmaṇy

ānandānubhavātmani

Translation

What more remains to be accomplished for the perfect devotee after achieving devotional service unto Me, the Supreme Absolute Truth, whose qualities are innumerable and who am the embodiment of all ecstatic experience?

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.

Devotional Service Is Its Own Reward

  1. 1

    The Lord is the Supreme Absolute Truth, with innumerable qualities, and the embodiment of all ecstatic experience. For the perfect devotee who achieves His service, nothing more remains to be accomplished.

  2. 2

    Devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is so pleasing that a pure devotee desires nothing else. Service itself is the ultimate reward, giving unsurpassed happiness and knowledge.

  3. 3

    Sincerely chanting and hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa's holy name and fame purifies the heart. Gradually one appreciates the blissful nature of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, loving service to the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • Devotional service to Lord Kṛṣṇa is so pleasing that a pure devotee cannot desire anything except service to the Lord.
  • In the Tenth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Lord Kṛṣṇa told the gopīs that they would have to accept their own service as the ultimate reward of their devotion to Him, since nothing awards as much happiness and knowledge as devotional service itself.
  • When one sincerely chants and hears the holy name and fame of Lord Kṛṣṇa, the heart is purified and gradually one can appreciate the actual, blissful nature of Kṛṣṇa consciousness, loving service to the 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 26: The Aila-gītā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In their association there are constant discussions about the Supreme Lord, by serving whom the spirit soul completely eradicates his material sins and obtains pure devotional service. And when one gains the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original ocean of unlimited perfect qualities, what else remains to be gained?
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.26
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bhaktimdevotional service to the Supreme Lord
  2. labdhavataḥwho has achieved
  3. sādhoḥfor the devotee
  4. kimwhat
  5. anyatelse
  6. avaśiṣyateremains
  7. mayito Me
  8. ananta-guṇewhose qualities are countless
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.26

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.26

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”, “holy name”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.26

    In this verse: “absolute truth”, “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

Do I approach devotional service as a reward in itself, or mainly as a means to obtain something else?

Practice

Spend a few minutes sincerely chanting and hearing Lord Kṛṣṇa's holy name, without asking for a separate reward.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.26's connections

Live this todayDevotional Service Is Its Own RewardThis 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 11.26.30? 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