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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 6: The Yadu Dynasty Retires to Prabhāsa
11.6.1611.6.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.6.17

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

तत्तस्थूषश्च जगतश्च भवानधीशो

यन्माययोत्थगुणविक्रिययोपनीतान् ।

अर्थाञ्जुषन्नपि हृषीकपते न लिप्तो

येऽन्ये स्वत: परिहृतादपि बिभ्यति स्म ॥ १७ ॥

tat tasthūṣaś ca jagataś ca bhavān adhīśo

yan māyayottha-guṇa-vikriyayopanītān

arthāñ juṣann api hṛṣīka-pate na lipto

ye ’nye svataḥ parihṛtād api bibhyati sma

Translation

O Lord, You are the supreme creator of this universe and the ultimate controller of all moving and nonmoving living entities. You are Hṛṣīkeśa, the supreme controller of all sensory activity, and thus You never become contaminated or entangled in the course of Your supervision of the infinite sensory activities within the material creation. On the other hand, other living entities, even yogīs and philosophers, are disturbed and frightened simply by remembering the material objects that they have supposedly renounced in their pursuit of enlightenment.

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 Guides Without Becoming Entangled

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa is Hṛṣīkeśa, the supreme controller of all sensory activity. He supervises the activities of living beings without becoming contaminated or entangled.

  2. 2

    The Lord is within every conditioned soul’s heart and guides the pursuit and experience of sense gratification. Its disappointing results gradually convince the soul to reject material life and surrender again to Him.

  3. 3

    Even yogīs and philosophers may be disturbed by remembering objects they have renounced. Kṛṣṇa has no possibility of fear or disturbance, because nothing is ultimately separate from Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The Supreme Lord Kṛṣṇa is within the heart of every conditioned soul and guides the living entity in the pursuit and experience of sense gratification.
  • The disappointing results of such activities gradually convince the conditioned soul to reject material life and surrender again to the Lord within his heart.
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa is never affected by the futile attempts of the living entities to enjoy His illusory energy.

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. tattherefore
  2. tasthūṣaḥof everything stationary
  3. caand
  4. jagataḥmobile
  5. caas well
  6. bhavānYou (are)
  7. adhīśaḥthe ultimate controller
  8. yatbecause
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”, “sense gratification”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “renounced”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “philosophers”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Has a disappointing attempt at enjoyment helped me turn toward the Lord within my heart?

Practice

Recall one disappointment in sense gratification and offer a brief prayer of surrender to Kṛṣṇa within your heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Guides Without Becoming EntangledThis 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 11.6.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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