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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.
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Canto 11 · Chapter 27: Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions on the Process of Deity Worship
11.27.3311.27.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.27.34

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

गुडपायससर्पींषि शष्कुल्यापूपमोदकान् ।

संयावदधिसूपांश्च नैवेद्यं सति कल्पयेत् ॥ ३४ ॥

guḍa-pāyasa-sarpīṁṣi

śaṣkuly-āpūpa-modakān

saṁyāva-dadhi-sūpāṁś ca

naivedyaṁ sati kalpayet

Translation

Within his means, the devotee should arrange to offer Me sugar candy, sweet rice, ghee, śaṣkulī [rice-flour cakes], āpūpa [various sweet cakes], modaka [steamed rice-flour dumplings filled with sweet coconut and sugar], saṁyāva [wheat cakes made with ghee and milk and covered with sugar and spices], yogurt, vegetable soups and other palatable foods.

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.

Offer Palatable Foods Within Your Means

  1. 1

    The devotee should arrange food offerings within available means. The Lord names sugar candy, sweet rice, ghee, yogurt, vegetable soups and other palatable foods.

  2. 2

    The offerings also include śaṣkulī, āpūpa, modaka and saṁyāva—varieties of cakes and sweet preparations.

  3. 3

    The purport directs readers to Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa for detailed guidance on proper and improper foods in Deity worship.

Key points from the purport
  • One can acquire detailed information of proper and improper foods to offer in Deity worship by consulting Śrī Hari-bhakti-vilāsa, eighth vilāsa, verses 152-164.

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 details of the worshiping process are as follows: The devotee should bathe both physically and by chanting mantras, and then he should perform the utterance of Gāyatrī at the prescribed juncture of the day. He should arrange a seat facing either east or north, or else directly facing the Deity, and should bathe and clean the Deity.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.27
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. guḍasugar candy
  2. pāyasasweet rice
  3. sarpīṁṣiand ghee
  4. śaṣkulīa kind of large, ear-shaped cake made of rice flour, sugar and sesame and fried in ghee
  5. āpūpavarious kinds of sweet cakes
  6. modakānsmall conical steamed dumplings made of rice flour and filled with sweet coconut and sugar
  7. saṁyāvaan oblong cake made of wheat, ghee and milk and covered with sugar and spices
  8. dadhiyogurt
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: “devotee”, “worship”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 11.27

    In this verse: “sweet”

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 food offering can I thoughtfully arrange within my means?

Practice

Set aside a small portion of plain yogurt to offer to the Lord today.

Live this todayOffer Palatable Foods Within Your MeansThis 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 11.27.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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