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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
11.31.2211.31.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.31.23

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

द्वारकां हरिणा त्यक्तां समुद्रोऽप्लावयत् क्षणात् ।

वर्जयित्वा महाराज श्रीमद्भ‍गवदालयम् ॥ २३ ॥

dvārakāṁ hariṇā tyaktāṁ

samudro ’plāvayat kṣaṇāt

varjayitvā mahā-rāja

śrīmad-bhagavad-ālayam

Translation

As soon as Dvārakā was abandoned by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the ocean flooded it on all sides, O King, sparing only His palace.

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 Lord’s Abode and Associates Are Eternal

  1. 1

    When the Supreme Personality of Godhead left Dvārakā, the ocean immediately flooded the city, sparing only His palace.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that only the external manifestation of the Lord’s abode was covered. Eternal Dvārakā exists beyond the material universe and the material ocean.

  3. 3

    The Lord’s associates and abode are eternal. One who understands this is qualified to become fully Kṛṣṇa conscious.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that whereas the external manifestation of the Lord’s abode was covered by the ocean, the Lord’s eternal Dvārakā exists beyond the material universe and certainly beyond the material ocean.
  • In that city there were many beautiful and splendorous residences of the aristocratic Yadu dynasty, and the most beautiful residence of all was that of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī mentions that even in the modern age, people who live near the site of the original Dvārakā sometimes catch a glimpse of it in the ocean.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.1.6-7

It is the most auspicious of auspicious places.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

At that time the ocean swallowed up all of Dvārakā-purī except for the Lord’s own residence. Arjuna took the remaining members of the Yadu dynasty to Indraprastha, where he installed Vajra upon the throne.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.31
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dvārakāmDvārakā
  2. hariṇāby Lord Hari
  3. tyaktāmabandoned
  4. samudraḥthe ocean
  5. aplāvayatoverflooded
  6. kṣaṇātimmediately
  7. varjayitvāexcept for
  8. mahā-rājaO King
  9. śrīmat-bhagavatof the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  10. ālayamthe residence
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.31

    In this verse: “understands”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing that the Lord’s abode is eternal deepen your understanding of Dvārakā’s disappearance?

Practice

Take a quiet moment today to remember that Kṛṣṇa’s abode and associates are eternal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Abode and Associates Are EternalThis 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.

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