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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 3: Liberation from the Illusory Energy

11.3.24 11.3.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.3.25

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śrī Prabuddhasince 11.3.18inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

सर्वत्रात्मेश्वरान्वीक्षां कैवल्यमनिकेतताम् ।

विविक्तचीरवसनं सन्तोषं येन केनचित् ॥ २५ ॥

sarvatrātmeśvarānvīkṣāṁ

kaivalyam aniketatām

vivikta-cīra-vasanaṁ

santoṣaṁ yena kenacit

Translation

One should practice meditation by constantly seeing oneself to be an eternal cognizant spirit soul and seeing the Lord to be the absolute controller of everything. To increase one’s meditation, one should live in a secluded place and give up false attachment to one’s home and household paraphernalia. Giving up the decorations of the temporary material body, one should dress himself with scraps of cloth found in rejected places, or with the bark of trees. In this way one should learn to be satisfied in any material situation.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Lord and Learn Contentment

1
Practice meditation by remembering that you are an eternal, conscious spirit soul and that the Lord is the absolute controller of everything.
2
Seclusion means freedom from material disturbances, not physical isolation from everyone. Live in the association of Vaiṣṇavas, whose common goal is advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
3
Give up false attachment to home and bodily decoration, while dressing cleanly and decently to help others approach Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Learning satisfaction in any material situation prepares you to remember the Absolute Truth at death.

Key points from the purport

Therefore, one should live in the association of Vaiṣṇavas, where the common goal is advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.
In any case, one should learn to be satisfied in any material situation so as to prepare for the moment of death.
Therefore, human life can be seen as a type of practice for successfully fixing one’s mind on the Absolute Truth during the severe trials of death.

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

Foreboding → Devotional urgency. Uddhava realizes that Kṛṣṇa's visible association is nearing an end.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 11: The Yadu curse, the nine Yogendras and farewell signs. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 3: Liberation from the Illusory Energy

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Situated within the temporary and constantly changing material world, the Supreme Lord remains eternal and unchanging. He cannot be understood by the unaided mind or senses, and He is transcendental to the manifestation of the material world, which takes place as the subtle cause and material effect visible in the appearance of gross material objects.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.3

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

sarvatraeverywhere
ātmafor one’s true self
īśvaraand for the Supreme Personality of Godhead
anvīkṣāmmeditation by keeping continuously in view
kaivalyamsolitude
aniketatāmhaving no fixed residence
vivikta-cīrascraps of cloth found in unfrequented places
vasanamwearing
santoṣamsatisfaction
yena kenacitwith anything

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
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.3
In this verse: “attachment”, “household”, “material”
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.3
In this verse: “spirit soul”, “absolute truth”
Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment
Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.3
In this verse: “give up”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which attachment to material comfort makes it harder for me to remember the Lord?

Practice

When a small discomfort arises today, pause and remember: I am an eternal spirit soul, and the Lord is the controller.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember the Lord and Learn ContentmentThis 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 11.3.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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