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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 31: The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa
11.31.1111.31.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.31.12

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.31.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मर्त्येन यो गुरुसुतं यमलोकनीतं

त्वां चानयच्छरणद: परमास्‍त्रदग्धम् ।

जिग्येऽन्तकान्तकमपीशमसावनीश:

किं स्वावने स्वरनयन्मृगयुं सदेहम् ॥ १२ ॥

martyena yo guru-sutaṁ yama-loka-nītaṁ

tvāṁ cānayac charaṇa-daḥ paramāstra-dagdham

jigye ’ntakāntakam apīśam asāv anīśaḥ

kiṁ svāvane svar anayan mṛgayuṁ sa-deham

Translation

Lord Kṛṣṇa brought the son of His guru back from the planet of the lord of death in the boy’s selfsame body, and as the ultimate giver of protection He saved you also when you were burned by the brahmāstra of Aśvatthāmā. He conquered in battle even Lord Śiva, who deals death to the agents of death, and He sent the hunter Jarā directly to Vaikuṇṭha in his human body. How could such a personality be unable to protect His own Self?

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 Is Beyond the Influence of Death

  1. 1

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī gives clear examples to ease the distress caused by hearing of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s departure. These show that the Lord is far beyond the influence of death.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa restored His spiritual master’s son, saved Parīkṣit Mahārāja from the brahmāstra, defeated Lord Śiva and sent Jarā to Vaikuṇṭha in his human body.

  3. 3

    Death is an insignificant expansion of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s external potency. It cannot act upon the Lord Himself.

Key points from the purport
  • To mitigate his own and Parīkṣit Mahārāja’s distress at the narration of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s departure from this world, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī here gives several clear examples proving that Lord Kṛṣṇa is far beyond the influence of death.
  • Although the son of Lord Kṛṣṇa’s spiritual master (Sāndīpani Muni) had been taken by death, the Lord brought him back in his same body.
  • Lord Śiva was clearly defeated by Lord Kṛṣṇa in the battle with Bāṇāsura, and the hunter Jarā was sent to a Vaikuṇṭha planet in his same human body.

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 31: The Disappearance of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Actually, He creates the entire universe, and then He enters within it as the Supersoul. In the end, He again winds up the entire universe within Himself and, remaining in His private glory, desists from external pastimes.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. martyenain the same human body
  2. yaḥwho
  3. guru-sutamthe son of His spiritual master
  4. yama-lokato the planet of Yamarāja
  5. nītambrought
  6. tvāmyou
  7. caand
  8. ānayatbrought back
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “protection”, “saved”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “death”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “hearing”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do these examples help you understand that Kṛṣṇa’s departure was not forced by death?

Practice

Reread one example of Kṛṣṇa’s protection and spend a moment remembering His power to give shelter.

5

The story around it

The story 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 11.31's connections

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Beyond the Influence of DeathThis 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 11.31.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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