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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
11.28.3411.28.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.28.35

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

एष स्वयंज्योतिरजोऽप्रमेयो

महानुभूति: सकलानुभूति: ।

एकोऽद्वितीयो वचसां विरामे

येनेषिता वागसवश्चरन्ति ॥ ३५ ॥

eṣa svayaṁ-jyotir ajo ’prameyo

mahānubhūtiḥ sakalānubhūtiḥ

eko ’dvitīyo vacasāṁ virāme

yeneṣitā vāg-asavaś caranti

Translation

The Supreme Lord is self-luminous, unborn and immeasurable. He is pure transcendental consciousness and perceives everything. One without a second, He is realized only after ordinary words cease. By Him the power of speech and the life airs are set into motion.

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.

The Supreme Lord Exceeds Our Limits

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord is self-manifested, unborn and all-pervasive. The individual living entity is manifested by Him, is localized and takes birth under material coverings.

  2. 2

    The Lord possesses full transcendental consciousness and knows everything. Each of the innumerable living entities is a tiny spark of consciousness with limited experience.

  3. 3

    The Lord sets speech and the life airs into motion, yet ordinary words cannot reveal Him. Mental speculation and material research cannot attain the Absolute Truth.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Lord is self-luminous, self-manifested, whereas the individual living entity is manifested by Him.
  • The Lord is immeasurable, being all-pervasive, whereas the living entity is localized.
  • The Supreme Lord is mahānubhūti, the totality of consciousness, whereas the living entity is a tiny spark of consciousness.

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:

He knows that the soul is changeless and that any contrary conception imposed on the pure self is sheer illusion. If, during the immature stage of spiritual practice, one suffers physical disease or other disturbances, the Vedas enjoin that he should certainly take proper measures to eradicate the problem.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.28
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. eṣaḥthis (Supersoul)
  2. svayam-jyotiḥself-luminous
  3. ajaḥunborn
  4. aprameyaḥimpossible to measure
  5. mahā-anubhūtiḥfull of transcendental consciousness
  6. sakala-anubhūtiḥaware of everything
  7. ekaḥone
  8. advitīyaḥwithout a second
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

  • 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”

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 recognizing my limited experience change the way I seek to understand the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Choose one contrast between yourself and the Lord in this verse and quietly reflect on it for a minute.

Live this todayThe Supreme Lord Exceeds Our LimitsThis 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 11.28.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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