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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 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty
11.29.4911.30.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 11.30.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीराजोवाच

ततो महाभागवत उद्धवे निर्गते वनम् ।

द्वारवत्यां किमकरोद् भगवान् भूतभावन: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-rājovāca

tato mahā-bhāgavata

uddhave nirgate vanam

dvāravatyāṁ kim akarod

bhagavān bhūta-bhāvanaḥ

Translation

King Parīkṣit said: After the great devotee Uddhava left for the forest, what did the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the protector of all living beings, do in the city of Dvārakā?

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.

Kṛṣṇa Departs by His Own Will

  1. 1

    After Uddhava left for the forest, Parīkṣit Mahārāja asked what the Supreme Personality of Godhead did in Dvārakā. His question concerns the Yadu dynasty’s destruction and Kṛṣṇa’s return to the spiritual sky.

  2. 2

    Although Kṛṣṇa appeared to react to the brāhmaṇas’ curse, no one can actually curse Him. He was playing the part of an ordinary member of the Yadu dynasty.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa’s departure with the Yadu dynasty demonstrated His internal potency and personal will. No one can challenge His supreme potency.

Key points from the purport
  • Parīkṣit Mahārāja now inquires from Śukadeva Gosvāmī about the topic of Chapter One of this canto, namely the annihilation of the Yadu dynasty and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s return to the spiritual sky.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa cannot actually be cursed by anyone.
  • Therefore, in giving up His pastimes and leaving the earth with the Yadu dynasty, Lord Kṛṣṇa demonstrated His internal potency and personal will, since no one can challenge the supreme potency of the 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.

How it feels

Sorrow and shock → Remembrance and acceptance. Devotees face a devastating change in visible association.

Chapters 30–31 of Canto 11: The Yadu dynasty and Kṛṣṇa disappear. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

This chapter discusses the destruction of the Yadu dynasty in connection with the winding up of the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After Śrī Uddhava left for Badarikāśrama, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, taking note of many bad omens, advised the Yādavas to abandon Dvārakā and go to Prabhāsa, on the bank of the Sarasvatī, to perform svasty-ayana and other rituals for counteracting bad fortune.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-rājā uvācathe king said
  2. tataḥthen
  3. mahā-bhāgavatethe great devotee
  4. uddhaveUddhava
  5. nirgatewhen he had gone
  6. vanamto the forest
  7. dvāravatyāmin Dvārakā
  8. kimwhat
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “king”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “protector”

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 does knowing that Kṛṣṇa acts by His own will shape your understanding of His departure?

Practice

Read the translation again, pausing to remember Kṛṣṇa as the protector of all living beings.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Departs by His Own WillThis 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 11.30.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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