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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 5: Nārada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva
11.5.1511.5.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.5.16

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Camasasince 11.5.2inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

ये कैवल्यमसम्प्राप्ता ये चातीताश्च मूढताम् ।

त्रैवर्गिका ह्यक्षणिका आत्मानं घातयन्ति ते ॥ १६ ॥

ye kaivalyam asamprāptā

ye cātītāś ca mūḍhatām

trai-vargikā hy akṣaṇikā

ātmānaṁ ghātayanti te

Translation

Those who have not achieved knowledge of the Absolute Truth, yet who are still beyond the darkness of complete ignorance, generally follow the threefold path of pious material life, namely religiosity, economic development and sense gratification. Not having time to reflect on any higher purpose, they become the killers of their own soul.

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.

Material Piety Is Not Spiritual Perfection

  1. 1

    Material piety can bring prosperity, beauty and a pleasant family situation. These comforts may create false pride and make a person unwilling to hear from the Lord’s devotees.

  2. 2

    Every living entity is an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Until we surrender to Him, material success does not establish our true spiritual well-being.

  3. 3

    Having no time for eternal self-interest is a sign of misfortune. Like a patient who stops treatment too soon, one who abandons spiritual progress before attaining Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet will fall again.

Key points from the purport
  • Those who are completely in the darkness of ignorance and thus bereft even of material pious life commit innumerable sinful activities and suffer greatly.
  • Those who are not completely sinful experience some mitigation of the miseries of material life and thus develop a false sense of well-being within the material world.
  • If one gives up his spiritual progress before achieving the lotus feet of Kṛṣṇa, he will undoubtedly fall back down into the most unpleasant material situation, even if he has achieved impersonal realization of the Brahman effulgence.

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 5: Nārada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Real wealth is that conducive to the faithful execution of the duty of the soul, not that which exists simply for selfish sense gratification. As a consequence of the desire to indulge the senses, men and women couple together to produce children.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yethose who
  2. kaivalyamknowledge of the Absolute Truth
  3. asamprāptāḥhave not achieved
  4. yewho
  5. caalso
  6. atītāḥhave transcended
  7. caalso
  8. mūḍhatāmgross foolishness
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.5

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.5

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.5

    In this verse: “religiosity”

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 comforts help me hear about Kṛṣṇa, or make me feel that I do not need spiritual guidance?

Practice

Set aside five minutes today to hear or read about Kṛṣṇa without attending to material tasks.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayMaterial Piety Is Not Spiritual PerfectionThis 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 11.5.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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