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

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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 4: Drumila Explains the Incarnations of Godhead to King Nimi
11.4.1211.4.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.4.13

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Drumilasince 11.4.2inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

ते देवानुचरा द‍ृष्ट्वा स्त्रिय: श्रीरिव रूपिणी: ।

गन्धेन मुमुहुस्तासां रूपौदार्यहतश्रिय: ॥ १३ ॥

te devānucarā dṛṣṭvā

striyaḥ śrīr iva rūpiṇīḥ

gandhena mumuhus tāsāṁ

rūpaudārya-hata-śriyaḥ

Translation

When the followers of the demigods gazed upon the fascinating mystic beauty of the women created by Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi and smelled the fragrance of their bodies, the minds of these followers became bewildered. Indeed, upon seeing the beauty and magnificence of such women, the representatives of the demigods were completely diminished in their own opulence.

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.

Heavenly Opulence Fades Before the Lord’s Creation

  1. 1

    The followers of the demigods gazed upon the fascinating mystic beauty of the women created by Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi.

  2. 2

    The women’s beauty and bodily fragrance bewildered the minds of these followers.

  3. 3

    Before such beauty and magnificence, the representatives of the demigods were completely diminished in their own opulence.

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 Personality of Godhead Nārāyaṇa created the universe out of the five elements manufactured by His own māyā, entered into that universe in the form of the Supersoul and became known as the Puruṣa-avatāra. He effects the work of creation in the mode of passion through the personal form of Brahmā, of protection in the mode of goodness through the form of the Lord of sacrifice, Viṣṇu, and of annihilation in the mode of ignorance through the form of Rudra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tethey
  2. deva-anucarāḥthe followers of the demigods
  3. dṛṣṭvāseeing
  4. striyaḥthese women
  5. śrīḥthe goddess of fortune
  6. ivaas if
  7. rūpiṇīḥin person
  8. gandhenaby the fragrance
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

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

What does this comparison reveal about taking pride in personal beauty or opulence?

Practice

Read the translation once slowly, noticing how the Lord’s creation diminished the visitors’ sense of their own opulence.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHeavenly Opulence Fades Before the Lord’s CreationThis 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 11.4.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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