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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 28: Jñāna-yoga
11.27.5511.28.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.28.1

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.28.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

श्रीभगवानुवाच

परस्वभावकर्माणि न प्रशंसेन्न गर्हयेत् ।

विश्वमेकात्मकं पश्यन् प्रकृत्या पुरुषेण च ॥ १ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

para-svabhāva-karmāṇi

na praśaṁsen na garhayet

viśvam ekātmakaṁ paśyan

prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth.

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.

See Everything in Relation to the Lord

  1. 1

    One should neither praise nor criticize others’ conditioned nature and activities. The world consists of material nature and enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth.

  2. 2

    Material nature is the Lord’s potency and is essentially real. Its temporary forms are illusory, like clay shaped into figures that are not actual tigers, people or houses.

  3. 3

    A devotee remains aloof from these temporary manifestations while recognizing their relationship with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • So a devotee of the Lord remains aloof from the illusory, temporary manifestations of material nature.
  • At the same time, he accepts material nature as the potency of the Lord and thus essentially real.
  • Similarly, the entire cosmic manifestation is modeling clay in the hands of the Supreme Lord, who acts through māyā to shape the glaring temporary forms of illusion, which absorb the minds of those who are not devotees of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Antya 8.78

This verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.28.1) was spoken by Lord Kṛṣṇa to Uddhava.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 28: Jñāna-yoga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

It is better to avoid condemning or praising anything of this world, because doing so simply entangles one in matter and deprives one of the higher goals of spiritual life. Hidden within every object of the material universe is the spirit soul, who underlies both the causes and products of manifest existence.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. paraanyone else’s
  3. svabhāvanature
  4. karmāṇiand activities
  5. na praśaṁsetone should not praise
  6. na garhayetone should not criticize
  7. viśvamthe world
  8. eka-ātmakambased on one reality
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.28

    In this verse: “absolute truth”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.28

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.28

    In this verse: “devotee”

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 might seeing material nature as the Lord’s potency change my judgments of others?

Practice

Pause before one judgment about someone’s material position, and remember that temporary forms rest on the Lord’s potency.

Live this todaySee Everything in Relation to the LordThis 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 11.28.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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