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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
11.28.2011.28.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.28.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.28.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

न यत् पुरस्तादुत यन्न पश्चा-

न्मध्ये च तन्न व्यपदेशमात्रम् ।

भूतं प्रसिद्धं च परेण यद् यत्

तदेव तत् स्यादिति मे मनीषा ॥ २१ ॥

na yat purastād uta yan na paścān

madhye ca tan na vyapadeśa-mātram

bhūtaṁ prasiddhaṁ ca pareṇa yad yat

tad eva tat syād iti me manīṣā

Translation

That which did not exist in the past and will not exist in the future also has no existence of its own for the period of its duration, but is only a superficial designation. In My opinion, whatever is created and revealed by something else is ultimately only that other thing.

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.

Define Everything in Relation to the Lord

  1. 1

    Temporary material products have no independent existence; their changing designations are superficial. Yet the material world is a real manifestation of the Lord’s potency.

  2. 2

    The Personality of Godhead is the world’s essential reality, whereas identities imposed by conditioned souls are illusion. We are actually the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    Trying to exploit the Lord’s inferior material potency entangles us in illusion. Everything should instead be properly understood in relation to the Personality of Godhead.

Key points from the purport
  • Although all material products, such as our own bodies, are temporary and thus ultimately false, the material world is a real manifestation of the Lord’s potency.
  • The basic substance, or reality, of this world is the Personality of Godhead Himself, whereas the temporary designations imposed by the conditioned souls are illusion.
  • Everything should be properly defined in terms of the Personality of Godhead, who is the essential reality of this and all other worlds.

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 28: Jñāna-yoga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Every created thing in this universe is a material product of the three modes of nature, is subject to sensory perception, and is essentially unreal. Actually, the designations of “good” and “bad” that we assign to the various objects and activities of this world are all superficial.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nadoes not exist
  2. yatthat which
  3. purastātpreviously
  4. utanor
  5. yatwhich
  6. nanot
  7. paścātafterward
  8. madhyein between
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “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

Which temporary designation most often obscures my relationship with the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Write down one temporary label you use for yourself, then reflect, “I am the marginal potency of the Supreme Lord.”

Live this todayDefine 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 11.28.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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