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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
11.30.28-3211.30.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.33

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 11.30.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मुषलावशेषाय:खण्डकृतेषुर्लुब्धको जरा ।

मृगास्याकारं तच्चरणं विव्याध मृगशङ्कया ॥ ३३ ॥

muṣalāvaśeṣāyaḥ-khaṇḍa-

kṛteṣur lubdhako jarā

mṛgāsyākāraṁ tac-caraṇaṁ

vivyādha mṛga-śaṅkayā

Translation

Just then a hunter named Jarā, who had approached the place, mistook the Lord’s foot for a deer’s face. Thinking he had found his prey, Jarā pierced the foot with his arrow, which he had fashioned from the remaining iron fragment of Sāmba’s club.

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 Arrow Only Touches the Lord’s Foot

  1. 1

    The hunter Jarā mistook the Lord’s foot for a deer’s face. His arrow was fashioned from the remaining iron fragment of Sāmba’s club.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that “pierced the Lord’s foot” expresses the hunter’s point of view. The arrow actually only touched the Lord’s lotus foot, whose limbs are composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss.

  3. 3

    The purport notes that Śukadeva Gosvāmī does not describe the hunter extracting an arrow when he falls at the Lord’s feet. This supports the explanation that the foot was not pierced.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura, the statement that the arrow “pierced the Lord’s foot” expresses the point of view of the hunter, who thought he had struck a deer.
  • In fact the arrow merely touched the Lord’s lotus foot and did not pierce it, since the Lord’s limbs are composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss.
  • Otherwise, in the description of the next verse (that the hunter became fearful and fell down with his head upon the Lord’s feet), Śukadeva Gosvāmī would have stated that he extracted his arrow from the Lord’s foot.

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:

Then a hunter named Jarā, mistaking the sole of the Lord’s left foot for a deer, pierced it with an arrow. The hunter immediately understood his mistake and, falling at the feet of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, begged to be punished.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. muṣalafrom the iron club
  2. avaśeṣaremaining
  3. ayaḥof iron
  4. khaṇḍawith the fragment
  5. kṛtawho had made
  6. iṣuḥhis arrow
  7. lubdhakaḥthe hunter
  8. jarānamed Jarā
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.30

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 the purport help me distinguish the hunter’s perception from the nature of the Lord’s form?

Practice

Read the purport again and remember that Kṛṣṇa’s limbs are composed of eternity, knowledge and bliss.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Arrow Only Touches the Lord’s FootThis 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 11.30.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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