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

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

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 ›
Canto 11 · Chapter 4: Drumila Explains the Incarnations of Godhead to King Nimi
11.4.611.4.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.4.7

Ūti· What drives us to act
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

इन्द्रो विशङ्‍क्य मम धाम जिघृक्षतीति

कामं न्ययुङ्क्त सगणं स बदर्युपाख्यम् ।

गत्वाप्सरोगणवसन्तसुमन्दवातै:

स्त्रीप्रेक्षणेषुभिरविध्यदतन्महिज्ञ: ॥ ७ ॥

indro viśaṅkya mama dhāma jighṛkṣatīti

kāmaṁ nyayuṅkta sa-gaṇaṁ sa badary-upākhyam

gatvāpsaro-gaṇa-vasanta-sumanda-vātaiḥ

strī-prekṣaṇeṣubhir avidhyad atan-mahi-jñaḥ

Translation

King Indra became fearful, thinking that Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi would become very powerful by His severe penances and seize Indra’s heavenly kingdom. Thus Indra, not knowing the transcendental glories of the incarnation of the Lord, sent Cupid and his associates to the Lord’s residence in Badarikāśrama. As the charming breezes of spring created a most sensuous atmosphere, Cupid himself attacked the Lord with arrows in the form of the irresistible glances of beautiful women.

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.

Do Not Measure God by Material Desires

  1. 1

    Attached to his heavenly kingdom, Indra feared that Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi wanted to seize it through severe penances. He did not understand the Lord’s transcendental glories.

  2. 2

    Indra sent Cupid and his associates to distract the Lord with sensual attractions. He wrongly placed the Personality of Godhead on his own level, as an ordinary enjoyer.

  3. 3

    Indra’s plot could not affect the Lord and instead revealed Indra’s shortsightedness. The Lord possesses supreme renunciation and does not seek the fleeting attractions of heavenly power.

Key points from the purport
  • The word atan-mahi-jñaḥ, “not understanding the glories of the Lord,” indicates that King Indra was placing the Personality of Godhead on the same level as he himself, considering the Lord an ordinary enjoyer who would be attracted by mundane sex life.
  • Indra’s plot to cause the falldown of Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi could not affect the Lord, but it reveals the shortsightedness of Indra himself.
  • Because Indra is attached to his heavenly kingdom, he took it for granted that the Supreme Lord was performing austerities to acquire such flickering phantasmagoria as the kingdom of heaven (tridaśa-pūr ākāśa-puṣpāyate).

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:

When Cupid (Kandarpa) and his hosts were sent to Badarikāśrama by King Indra, who had become fearful and envious at seeing the austerities of Lord Nara-Nārāyaṇa, that best of sages welcomed Cupid as an honored guest. The pacified Cupid then offered prayers to the Supreme Personality Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. indraḥLord Indra
  2. viśaṅkyafearing
  3. mamamy
  4. dhāmakingdom
  5. jighṛkṣatiHe wants to devour
  6. itithinking thus
  7. kāmamCupid
  8. nyayuṅktahe engaged
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.4

    In this verse: “fearful”, “feared”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Do my own attachments lead me to assume that the Lord shares my material ambitions?

Practice

Name one position or possession you fear losing, then reread the translation while remembering that the Lord is not an ordinary enjoyer.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDo Not Measure God by Material DesiresThis 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 11.4.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories