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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
11.4.411.4.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.4.5

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
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

आदावभूच्छतधृती रजसास्य सर्गे

विष्णु: स्थितौ क्रतुपतिर्द्विजधर्मसेतु: ।

रुद्रोऽप्ययाय तमसा पुरुष: स आद्य

इत्युद्भ‍वस्थितिलया: सततं प्रजासु ॥ ५ ॥

ādāv abhūc chata-dhṛtī rajasāsya sarge

viṣṇuḥ sthitau kratu-patir dvija-dharma-setuḥ

rudro ’pyayāya tamasā puruṣaḥ sa ādya

ity udbhava-sthiti-layāḥ satataṁ prajāsu

Translation

In the beginning, the original Supreme Personality manifested the form of Brahmā through the material mode of passion in order to create this universe. The Lord manifested His form as Viṣṇu, the Lord of sacrifice and protector of the twice-born brāhmaṇas and their religious duties, to maintain the universe. And when the universe is to be annihilated the same Supreme Lord employs the material mode of ignorance and manifests the form of Rudra. The created living beings are thus always subject to the forces of creation, maintenance and destruction.

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.

Viṣṇu Remains Beyond the Material Modes

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord manifests the controllers of creation, maintenance and destruction. Brahmā creates through passion, Viṣṇu maintains, and Rudra annihilates through ignorance.

  2. 2

    Viṣṇu exists in unlimited transcendental goodness, beyond even the material mode of goodness. His protection of the brāhmaṇas and religious principles is His pastime, not an imposed duty.

  3. 3

    Brahmā and Śiva faithfully serve the Supreme Lord and manifest His potency and will, but they are not supreme. Viṣṇu Himself is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original cause of all causes.

Key points from the purport
  • In the previous verse the Supreme Personality of Godhead was described as ādi-kartā, the original person responsible for the creation, maintenance and annihilation of the material world.
  • Although Lord Śiva and Lord Brahmā are somewhat affected by their prescribed duties as superintendents of the modes of nature, Lord Viṣṇu is viśuddha-sattva, completely beyond contamination even by the material mode of goodness.
  • Whereas Brahmā and Śiva faithfully engage in service to the Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu is the Supreme Lord Himself, and therefore His activities of maintaining the brāhmaṇas and religious principles, as mentioned in this verse (dvija-dharma-setuḥ), are not occupational duties but līlā.

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

The purport of SB 11.4.5 quotesSB 3.8.15

Viṣṇu, however, is the self-manifested Personality of Godhead who enters the material universe by His own internal potency, as stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (3.8.15): In conclusion, Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is the supreme controller whose personal form is full of eternal existence, knowledge and bliss, who is beginningless but is the beginning of everything, who is known as…

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

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:

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. Incarnating in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, the greatest of sages, from the womb of Mūrti, the daughter of Dakṣa and wife of Dharma, He preached by His own practical demonstration the science of naiṣkarmyam.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ādauin the beginning
  2. abhūtHe became
  3. śata-dhṛtiḥLord Brahmā
  4. rajasāby the material mode of passion
  5. asyaof this universe
  6. sargein the creation
  7. viṣṇuḥLord Viṣṇu
  8. sthitauin maintenance
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “religious”, “duties”, “duty”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “protector”, “protection”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “material”

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

How does distinguishing the Supreme Lord from His servants clarify my understanding of worship?

Practice

Pause today to acknowledge Lord Viṣṇu as the supreme controller and express your desire to serve Him.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 3.8.15

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.4's connections

Live this todayViṣṇu Remains Beyond the Material ModesThis 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 11.4.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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