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 6: The Yadu Dynasty Retires to Prabhāsa
11.6.1311.6.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.6.14

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The demigodssince 11.6.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

नस्योतगाव इव यस्य वशे भवन्ति

ब्रह्मादयस्तनुभृतो मिथुरर्द्यमाना: ।

कालस्य ते प्रकृतिपूरुषयो: परस्य

शं नस्तनोतु चरण: पुरुषोत्तमस्य ॥ १४ ॥

nasy ota-gāva iva yasya vaśe bhavanti

brahmādayas tanu-bhṛto mithur ardyamānāḥ

kālasya te prakṛti-pūruṣayoḥ parasya

śaṁ nas tanotu caraṇaḥ puruṣottamasya

Translation

You are the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the transcendental entity who is superior to both material nature and the enjoyer of nature. May Your lotus feet bestow transcendental pleasure upon us. All of the great demigods, beginning with Brahmā, are embodied living entities. Struggling painfully with one another under the strict control of Your time factor, they are just like bulls dragged by ropes tied through their pierced noses.

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.

Humbly Surrender to the Supreme Controller

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is beyond material nature and its enjoyer. Even Brahmā and the other powerful demigods remain under His control.

  2. 2

    Victory and defeat are in the Lord’s hands, but this does not cancel our free will. He awards results according to our activities, including those of previous lives.

  3. 3

    A superficial observer cannot understand the Lord’s perfect justice. The demigods approach Him not to display their power, but to surrender humbly at His lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • But every living entity is, however, strictly under the control of the Personality of Godhead, and victory and defeat are always in the hands of the Lord.”
  • Similarly, the Personality of Godhead is awarding us the results of our previous activities.
  • Therefore the demigods have not come to Dvārakā to proudly display their universal political and intellectual powers but to humbly surrender at the lotus feet of the Personality of Godhead.

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 6: The Yadu Dynasty Retires to Prabhāsa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

All living entities, beginning with Brahmā, are subordinate to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Kṛṣṇa creates the universe by empowering His expansion Mahā-Viṣṇu.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nasithrough the nose
  2. otastrung
  3. gāvaḥoxen
  4. ivaas if
  5. yasyaof whose
  6. vaśeunder the control
  7. bhavantithey exist
  8. brahma-ādayaḥBrahmā and all others
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “understand”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “surrender”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where am I relying on my own power instead of approaching the Lord humbly?

Practice

Before one important task today, pause and pray for humility, remembering that its outcome is not entirely in your hands.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHumbly Surrender to the Supreme ControllerThis 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 11.6.14? 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