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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 27: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship
11.27.2211.27.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.27.23

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.27.6inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

पिण्डे वाय्वग्निसंशुद्धे हृत्पद्मस्थां परां मम ।

अण्वीं जीवकलां ध्यायेन्नादान्ते सिद्धभाविताम् ॥ २३ ॥

piṇḍe vāyv-agni-saṁśuddhe

hṛt-padma-sthāṁ parāṁ mama

aṇvīṁ jīva-kalāṁ dhyāyen

nādānte siddha-bhāvitām

Translation

The worshiper should meditate upon My subtle form — which is situated within the worshiper’s own body, now purified by air and fire — as the source of all living entities. This form of the Lord is experienced by self-realized sages in the last part of the vibration of the sacred syllable om.

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.

Meditate on the Lord Within

  1. 1

    The worshiper should meditate on the Lord’s subtle form within the body purified by air and fire. The Lord is the source of all living entities.

  2. 2

    The praṇava, or oṁkāra, has five parts: A, U, M, the nasal bindu and the reverberation, called nāda.

  3. 3

    Liberated souls meditate upon the Lord at the end of that reverberation. The meditation is directed toward the Lord’s transcendental form.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the praṇava, or oṁkāra, has five parts: A, U, M, the nasal bindu and the reverberation (nāda).
  • Liberated souls meditate upon the Lord at the end of that reverberation.

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 27: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Deity image, the ground, the fire, the sun, the water and the heart of the worshiper are all true locations of the Deity’s presence. The Deity form to be worshiped may be constructed of any one of eight substances — stone, wood, metal, clay, paint, sand (drawn upon the ground), the mind or jewels.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.27
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. piṇḍewithin the body
  2. vāyuby air
  3. agniand by fire
  4. saṁśuddhewhich has become completely purified
  5. hṛtof the heart
  6. padmaupon the lotus
  7. sthāmsituated
  8. parāmthe transcendental form
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.27

    In this verse: “worshiper”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.27

    In this verse: “purified”

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 knowing the Lord as the source of all living entities shape my meditation?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute remembering the Lord within as the source of all living entities.

Live this todayMeditate on the Lord WithinThis 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 11.27.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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