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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 30: The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty
11.30.211.30.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.3

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

प्रत्याक्रष्टुं नयनमबला यत्र लग्नं न शेकु:

कर्णाविष्टं न सरति ततो यत् सतामात्मलग्नम् ।

यच्छ्रीर्वाचां जनयति रतिं किं नु मानं कवीनां

द‍ृष्ट्वा जिष्णोर्युधि रथगतं यच्च तत्साम्यमीयु: ॥ ३ ॥

pratyākraṣṭuṁ nayanam abalā yatra lagnaṁ na śekuḥ

karṇāviṣṭaṁ na sarati tato yat satām ātma-lagnam

yac-chrīr vācāṁ janayati ratiṁ kiṁ nu mānaṁ kavīnāṁ

dṛṣṭvā jiṣṇor yudhi ratha-gataṁ yac ca tat-sāmyam īyuḥ

Translation

Once their eyes were fixed upon His transcendental form, women were unable to withdraw them, and once that form had entered the ears of the sages and become fixed in their hearts, it would never depart. What to speak of acquiring fame, the great poets who described the beauty of the Lord’s form would have their words invested with transcendentally pleasing attraction. And by seeing that form on Arjuna’s chariot, all the warriors on the battlefield of Kurukṣetra attained the liberation of gaining a spiritual body similar to the Lord’s.

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’s Spiritual Beauty Attracts and Liberates

  1. 1

    The gopīs of Vṛndāvana and Rukmiṇī constantly meditated on the Lord’s spiritual body. Liberated sages heard about His form and could not take it out of their hearts.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s bodily beauty expanded the love and poetic expression of great liberated poets. Their descriptions became transcendentally pleasing.

  3. 3

    By seeing Kṛṣṇa on Arjuna’s chariot, the warriors at Kurukṣetra attained eternal spiritual bodies similar to His. His liberating form cannot be material or something He abandons.

Key points from the purport
  • Transcendental, liberated personalities such as the gopīs of Vṛndāvana and Rukmiṇī, the original goddess of fortune, were constantly meditating on the Lord’s spiritual body.
  • Great liberated sages (satām), having heard about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, could not take it out of their hearts.
  • The Lord’s bodily beauty expanded the love and poetic output of great liberated poets, and simply by seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, the warriors at Kurukṣetra achieved spiritual liberation with an eternal body similar to the Lord’s.

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:

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. They followed His advice and went to Prabhāsa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pratyākraṣṭumto withdraw
  2. nayanamtheir eyes
  3. abalāḥthe women
  4. yatrain which
  5. lagnamattached
  6. na śekuḥwere not able
  7. karṇathe ears
  8. āviṣṭamhaving entered
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

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “love”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “material”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “heard”

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

What does the effect of Kṛṣṇa’s beauty on these devotees and warriors reveal about His form?

Practice

Reread the description of the sages and spend a quiet minute keeping the Lord’s spiritual form in mind.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.30's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Spiritual Beauty Attracts and LiberatesThis 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 11.30.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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