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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
11.5.3311.5.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.5.34

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

त्यक्त्वा सुदुस्त्यजसुरेप्सितराज्यलक्ष्मीं

धर्मिष्ठ आर्यवचसा यदगादरण्यम् ।

मायामृगं दयितयेप्सितमन्वधावद्

वन्दे महापुरुष ते चरणारविन्दम् ॥ ३४ ॥

tyaktvā su-dustyaja-surepsita-rājya-lakṣmīṁ

dharmiṣṭha ārya-vacasā yad agād araṇyam

māyā-mṛgaṁ dayitayepsitam anvadhāvad

vande mahā-puruṣa te caraṇāravindam

Translation

O Mahā-puruṣa, I worship Your lotus feet. You gave up the association of the goddess of fortune and all her opulence, which is most difficult to renounce and is hankered after by even the great demigods. Being the most faithful follower of the path of religion, You thus left for the forest in obedience to a brāhmaṇa’s curse. Out of sheer mercifulness You chased after the fallen conditioned souls, who are always in pursuit of the false enjoyment of illusion, and at the same time engaged in searching out Your own desired object, Lord Śyāmasundara.

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.

The Lord Mercifully Seeks the Fallen

  1. 1

    Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, appearing as a brāhmaṇa. He gave up the association of the goddess of fortune and opulence desired even by the demigods.

  2. 2

    The Lord accepted a brāhmaṇa’s curse as a blessing and took the renounced order of life. His mission was to give up the illusion of material sense gratification and engage constantly in devotional service.

  3. 3

    While conditioned souls search for illusory enjoyment, Caitanya Mahāprabhu searches for them out of mercy. He rescues them from material existence and brings them into ecstatic love of Godhead, without discrimination based on caste, color or creed.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the Vaiṣṇava ācāryas, this important verse of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is understood to describe Caitanya Mahāprabhu, Lord Kṛṣṇa and also Lord Śrī Rāmacandra.
  • However, Caitanya Mahāprabhu is Lord Kṛṣṇa appearing as a brāhmaṇa, and therefore He is certainly dharmiṣṭhaḥ, or the most religious.
  • Thus, by grammatical derivation, the word used in this verse, dayitayā, indicates that because of being the most merciful, Caitanya Mahāprabhu was busily engaged in rescuing the fallen conditioned souls, who are completely distracted and bewildered by the external illusory energy of the Lord.

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· 2

The purport of SB 11.5.34 quotesSB 10.3.22

In Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.3.22, 29) both Vasudeva and Devakī express their fear at the threat of Kaṁsa, who had already killed all of Kṛṣṇa’s elder brothers.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 6.10.8

Concerning Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (11.5.34): “We offer our respectful obeisances unto the lotus feet of the Lord, upon whom one should always meditate.

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 5: Nārada Concludes His Teachings to Vasudeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Persons who give up all false ego and take full shelter of Lord Hari are no longer debtors to the demigods or anyone else. The Personality of Godhead, Śrī Hari, appears in the hearts of devotees who know no other shelter than Him and causelessly drives away all evil desires from the devotees’ hearts.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tyaktvāabandoning
  2. su-dustyajamost difficult to give up
  3. sura-īpsitaanxiously desired by the demigods
  4. rājya-lakṣmīmthe goddess of fortune and her opulence
  5. dharmiṣṭhaḥmost perfectly fixed in religiousness
  6. ārya-vacasāaccording to the words of a brāhmaṇa (who had cursed Him to be deprived of all the happiness of family life)
  7. yatHe who
  8. agātwent
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.5

    In this verse: “renounce”, “gave up”, “renounced”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 11.5

    In this verse: “mercifulness”, “mercy”, “blessing”

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

What pursuit of temporary enjoyment could I set aside to give more attention to devotional service?

Practice

Set aside five minutes you would otherwise spend seeking material enjoyment, and use them to worship the Lord with a sincere prayer.

5

The story around it

The story 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 10.3.22

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.5's connections

Live this todayThe Lord Mercifully Seeks the FallenThis 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 11.5.34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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