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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.4.2

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीद्रुमिल उवाच

यो वा अनन्तस्य गुणाननन्ता-

ननुक्रमिष्यन् स तु बालबुद्धि: ।

रजांसि भूमेर्गणयेत् कथञ्चित्

कालेन नैवाखिलशक्तिधाम्न: ॥ २ ॥

śrī-drumila uvāca

yo vā anantasya guṇān anantān

anukramiṣyan sa tu bāla-buddhiḥ

rajāṁsi bhūmer gaṇayet kathañcit

kālena naivākhila-śakti-dhāmnaḥ

Translation

Śrī Drumila said: Anyone trying to enumerate or describe fully the unlimited qualities of the unlimited Supreme Lord has the intelligence of a foolish child. Even if a great genius could somehow or other, after a time-consuming endeavor, count all the particles of dust on the surface of the earth, such a genius could never count the attractive qualities of the Personality of Godhead, who is the reservoir of all potencies.

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.

Hear Humbly About the Unlimited Lord

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord’s attractive qualities are unlimited. Even someone able to count every particle of dust on earth could never count them all.

  2. 2

    No one can fully understand the Lord by a tiny, independent endeavor. One should submissively hear His own teachings in Bhagavad-gītā and gradually advance to hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

  3. 3

    A drop of seawater gives an idea of the whole ocean’s flavor. Similarly, submissive hearing gives a qualitative understanding of the Absolute Truth, although our knowledge can never be complete.

Key points from the purport
  • In reply to King Nimi’s request that the nava-yogendras describe all the qualities and pastimes of the Lord, Śrī Drumila here explains that only the most foolish person would even attempt such a comprehensive description of the unlimited qualities and pastimes of the Personality of Godhead.
  • Such foolish, childish persons, however, are far more advanced than ignorant materialistic scientists who actually try to describe all knowledge without even referring to the Personality of Godhead.
  • In other words, although it is impossible to describe the Lord fully, foolish atheistic scientists attempt to describe all knowledge without even having reached the most preliminary knowledge of the Personality of Godhead.

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:

Even if it were ever possible to count all the particles of dust on the face of the earth, any attempt to count all the innumerable transcendental qualities of the unlimited Lord Hari, the foundation of all potencies, would be simply madness. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-drumilaḥ uvācaŚrī Drumila said
  2. yaḥwho
  3. vaiindeed
  4. anantasyaof the unlimited Lord
  5. guṇānthe transcendental qualities
  6. anantānwhich are unlimited
  7. anukramiṣyantrying to enumerate
  8. saḥhe
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”, “understand”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “child”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “hearing”

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 hear about the Lord with humility rather than expecting to understand everything?

Practice

Read a short passage from Bhagavad-gītā today, approaching it as instruction from the Lord rather than something to master completely.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Humbly About the Unlimited LordThis 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 11.4.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.