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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
11.31.1911.31.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.31.20

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 11.31.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

रामपत्न्‍यश्च तद्देहमुपगुह्याग्निमाविशन् ।

वसुदेवपत्न्‍यस्तद्गात्रं प्रद्युम्नादीन् हरे: स्‍नुषा: ।

कृष्णपत्न्‍योऽविशन्नग्निं रुक्‍मिण्याद्यास्तदात्मिका: ॥ २० ॥

rāma-patnyaś ca tad-deham

upaguhyāgnim āviśan

vasudeva-patnyas tad-gātraṁ

pradyumnādīn hareḥ snuṣāḥ

kṛṣṇa-patnyo ’viśann agniṁ

rukmiṇy-ādyās tad-ātmikāḥ

Translation

The wives of Lord Balarāma also entered the fire and embraced His body, and Vasudeva’s wives entered his fire and embraced his body. The daughters-in-law of Lord Hari entered the funeral fires of their respective husbands, headed by Pradyumna. And Rukmiṇī and the other wives of Lord Kṛṣṇa — whose hearts were completely absorbed in Him — entered His fire.

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 and His Associates Return Together

  1. 1

    The translation describes the wives entering the funeral fires. Rukmiṇī and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s other wives had hearts completely absorbed in Him.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that this anguished scene is a display of the Lord’s illusory potency. His internal potency brings His manifest earthly pastimes to a dramatic close.

  3. 3

    In reality, Lord Kṛṣṇa returned to His eternal abode in His original body. His eternal associates returned with Him.

Key points from the purport
  • It is understood that the anguished scene described here is a display of the Lord’s illusory potency, adding a final dramatic note to Lord Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes on the earth.
  • In reality, Lord Kṛṣṇa returned to His eternal abode in His original body, and His eternal associates returned with Him.
  • This final heartbreaking scene of the Lord’s pastimes is a creation of the Lord’s internal potency that brings the Lord’s manifest pastimes to a perfect dramatic end.

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:

Though overcome by feelings of separation from Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna was nevertheless able to pacify himself by remembering all the various instructions given to him by the Lord. Arjuna then carried out the rituals of offering piṇḍa and so on for his dead relatives.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rāma-patnyaḥthe wives of Lord Balarāma
  2. caand
  3. tat-dehamHis body
  4. upaguhyaembracing
  5. agnimthe fire
  6. āviśanentered
  7. vasudeva-patnyaḥthe wives of Vasudeva
  8. tat-gātramhis body
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that Kṛṣṇa and His eternal associates returned together change your understanding of this scene?

Practice

Remember the purport’s conclusion for one minute: Kṛṣṇa returned in His original body with His eternal associates.

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 and His Associates Return TogetherThis 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 11.31.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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