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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.30.38

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्यात्मयोगरचितं न विदुर्विरिञ्चो

रुद्रादयोऽस्य तनया: पतयो गिरां ये ।

त्वन्मायया पिहितद‍ृष्टय एतदञ्ज:

किं तस्य ते वयमसद्गतयो गृणीम: ॥ ३८ ॥

yasyātma-yoga-racitaṁ na vidur viriñco

rudrādayo ’sya tanayāḥ patayo girāṁ ye

tvan-māyayā pihita-dṛṣṭaya etad añjaḥ

kiṁ tasya te vayam asad-gatayo gṛṇīmaḥ

Translation

Neither Brahmā nor his sons, headed by Rudra, nor any of the great sages who are masters of the Vedic mantras can understand the function of Your mystic power. Because Your illusory potency has covered their sight, they remain ignorant of how Your mystic power works. Therefore, what can I, such a low-born person, possibly say?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Humbly Recognize the Limits of Understanding

  1. 1

    Neither Brahmā, his sons headed by Rudra, nor the great sages who master Vedic mantras understand the workings of the Lord’s mystic power.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s illusory potency covers their sight, leaving them unable to understand how His power works.

  3. 3

    Recognizing these limits even among the great, Jarā humbly asks what he himself can possibly say.

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:

There they became absorbed in festivity, and by the illusory power of Lord Kṛṣṇa they became intoxicated from drinking liquor. Thus losing their intelligence, they quarreled among themselves and began killing one another, until not a man was left alive.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.30
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yasyawhose
  2. ātma-yogaby the personal mystic power
  3. racitamproduced
  4. na viduḥthey do not understand
  5. viriñcaḥLord Brahmā
  6. rudra-ādayaḥŚiva and others
  7. asyahis
  8. tanayāḥsons
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Can I approach the Lord with humility rather than assume I understand all His actions?

Practice

In a short prayer, acknowledge that the Lord’s power exceeds your understanding.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHumbly Recognize the Limits of UnderstandingThis 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 11.30.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.