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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

11.5.20 11.5.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.5.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śrī Karabhājanasince 11.5.20inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → VasudevaThe nine Yogendras → King Nimi

कृते शुक्लश्चतुर्बाहुर्जटिलो वल्कलाम्बर: ।

कृष्णाजिनोपवीताक्षान् बिभ्रद् दण्डकमण्डलू ॥ २१ ॥

kṛte śuklaś catur-bāhur

jaṭilo valkalāmbaraḥ

kṛṣṇājinopavītākṣān

bibhrad daṇḍa-kamaṇḍalū

Translation

In Satya-yuga the Lord is white and four-armed, has matted locks and wears a garment of tree bark. He carries a black deerskin, a sacred thread, prayer beads and the rod and waterpot of a brahmacārī.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Form in Satya-yuga

1
In Satya-yuga, the Lord has a white complexion and four arms.
2
He has matted locks and wears a garment of tree bark. He also carries a black deerskin and a sacred thread.
3
His other articles include prayer beads and the rod and waterpot of a brahmacārī.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.331

The following two verses are also from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.21, 24).

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

Chapter 5: Nārada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In Satya-yuga the Supreme Lord is white in complexion, has four arms, dresses as a brahmacārī, is known by such names as Haṁsa and is served by the practice of meditational yoga. In Tretā-yuga He is red in color and four-armed, is the personification of sacrifice, is characterized by the symbols of the sacrificial spoon, ladle, etc., is called by such names as Yajña and is worshiped by Vedic sacrifices.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.5