1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 11.4.12

Who is speaking and story frame

इति प्रगृणतां तेषां स्त्रियोऽत्यद्भुरतदर्शना: ।

दर्शयामास शुश्रूषां स्वर्चिता: कुर्वतीर्विभु: ॥ १२ ॥

iti pragṛṇatāṁ teṣāṁ

striyo ’ty-adbhuta-darśanāḥ

darśayām āsa śuśrūṣāṁ

sv-arcitāḥ kurvatīr vibhuḥ

Translation

While the demigods were thus praising the Supreme Lord, the all-powerful Lord suddenly manifested before their eyes many women, who were astonishingly gorgeous, decorated with fine clothes and ornaments, and all faithfully engaging in the Lord’s service.

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 Mercifully Removes False Prestige

  1. 1

    While the demigods praised Him, the all-powerful Lord manifested many astonishingly beautiful women. They were finely dressed and faithfully engaged in His service.

  2. 2

    The demigods had been proud of their beauty and female companions. The Lord revealed women far more beautiful than any companions they could imagine.

  3. 3

    Nara-Nārāyaṇa manifested these women through His own mystic potency. By relieving the demigods of false prestige, He showed them causeless mercy.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Nara-Nārāyaṇa showed His causeless mercy toward the demigods by relieving them of their false prestige.
  • Although the demigods were proud of their personal beauty and female companions, the Lord showed that He was already being adequately served by innumerable gorgeous females, each of whom was far more beautiful than any female companion imagined by the demigods.
  • The Lord manifested such uniquely attractive women through His own mystic potency.

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

Foreboding → Devotional urgency. Uddhava realizes that Kṛṣṇa's visible association is nearing an end.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 11: The Yadu curse, the nine Yogendras and farewell signs. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: Drumila Explains the Incarnations of Godhead to King Nimi

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Lord delivered the Vālakhilyas, who had been trapped in the water in a cow’s hoofprint, He delivered Indra from the reaction for murdering a brāhmaṇa, and He delivered the wives of the demigods from imprisonment in the palaces of the demoniac asuras. In the avatāra of Nṛsiṁha, He killed Hiraṇyakaśipu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. itithus
  2. pragṛṇatāmwho were offering praise
  3. teṣāmin their presence
  4. striyaḥwomen
  5. ati-adbhutavery wonderful
  6. darśanāḥin appearance
  7. darśayām āsaHe showed
  8. śuśrūṣāmreverential service
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “mercy”, “causeless”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “companions”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “proud”

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 recognize the loss of false prestige as a form of the Lord’s mercy?

Practice

Notice one quality you feel proud of, and reflect on the Lord’s greatness rather than your own superiority.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Mercifully Removes False PrestigeThis 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 11.4.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.