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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 3: Liberation from the Illusory Energy
11.3.3711.3.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.3.38

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Pippalāyanasince 11.3.35inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

नात्मा जजान न मरिष्यति नैधतेऽसौ

न क्षीयते सवनविद् व्यभिचारिणां हि ।

सर्वत्र शश्वदनपाय्युपलब्धिमात्रं

प्राणो यथेन्द्रियबलेन विकल्पितं सत् ॥ ३८ ॥

nātmā jajāna na mariṣyati naidhate ’sau

na kṣīyate savana-vid vyabhicāriṇāṁ hi

sarvatra śaśvad anapāyy upalabdhi-mātraṁ

prāṇo yathendriya-balena vikalpitaṁ sat

Translation

Brahman, the eternal soul, was never born and will never die, nor does it grow or decay. That spiritual soul is actually the knower of the youth, middle age and death of the material body. Thus the soul can be understood to be pure consciousness, existing everywhere at all times and never being destroyed. Just as the life air within the body, although one, becomes manifest as many in contact with the various material senses, the one soul appears to assume various material designations in contact with the material body.

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 Soul Remains Beyond Bodily Changes

  1. 1

    The soul is never born and never dies, grows or decays. Although the body changes, the soul remains an eternally conscious person.

  2. 2

    The individual soul exists in all material conditions but is not all-pervading. Consciousness appears in different ways through the senses, yet consciousness itself remains eternal.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the original source and proprietor of everything. Becoming Kṛṣṇa conscious frees one from bewilderment caused by identifying with the body's changes.

Key points from the purport
  • Both the living entity and material nature are ultimately Brahman, being expansions of the Supreme Brahman.
  • Thus, according to this verse, nātmā jajāna na mariṣyati naidhate ’sau na kṣīyate: the soul is never born, nor does he die, and he certainly cannot grow or decay like a material body.
  • Therefore, the word sarvatra is understood to mean that the pure spiritual soul exists in all material conditions.

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

Further reading

Chapter 3: Liberation from the Illusory Energy

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He is always free from birth, growth, decay and death, and He is the Supersoul, the all-pervading witness who perceives the mentalities of all living entities. He is the Supreme Brahman and is known as Nārāyaṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanever
  2. ātmāthe soul
  3. jajānawas born
  4. nanever
  5. mariṣyatiwill die
  6. nadoes not
  7. edhategrow
  8. asauthis
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.3

    In this verse: “material”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.3

    In this verse: “death”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which change in my body have I been treating as a change in my true self?

Practice

Take one minute today to reflect: “My body changes, but I remain an eternally conscious soul, part of the Lord's potency.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Soul Remains Beyond Bodily ChangesThis 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 11.3.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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