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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
11.6.2011.6.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.6.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 11.6.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीब्रह्मोवाच

भूमेर्भारावताराय पुरा विज्ञापित: प्रभो ।

त्वमस्माभिरशेषात्मन्तत्तथैवोपपादितम् ॥ २१ ॥

śrī-brahmovāca

bhūmer bhārāvatārāya

purā vijñāpitaḥ prabho

tvam asmābhir aśeṣātman

tat tathaivopapāditam

Translation

Lord Brahmā said: My dear Lord, previously we requested You to remove the burden of the earth. O unlimited Personality of Godhead, that request has certainly been fulfilled.

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 Unlimited Lord Fulfills Their Request

  1. 1

    Brahmā acknowledges that the Lord has fulfilled the demigods’ request to remove the burden of the earth.

  2. 2

    The demigods had requested Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to descend. Brahmā nevertheless speaks of that request as having been made to Kṛṣṇa.

  3. 3

    Brahmā addresses Kṛṣṇa as the unlimited Personality of Godhead. All plenary expansions of Viṣṇu emanate from Him.

Key points from the purport
  • Lord Kṛṣṇa might have said to the demigods, “Actually, you requested Kṣīrodakaśāyī Viṣṇu to come down, so why are you saying that you requested Me?
  • Therefore Brahmā has addressed the Lord here as aśeṣātmā, or the unlimited Personality of Godhead from whom all plenary expansions of Viṣṇu emanate.
  • This is the opinion of Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.

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:

This chapter describes how Brahmā and other demigods, after offering prayers to Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, requested the Lord to return to His own abode and how Uddhava, anticipating separation from the Supreme Personality of Godhead, was very distressed and prayed to Śrī Kṛṣṇa that he might accompany Him on His return to that abode.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-brahmā uvācaŚrī Brahmā said
  2. bhūmeḥof the earth
  3. bhārathe burden
  4. avatārāyafor the sake of diminishing
  5. purāpreviously
  6. vijñāpitaḥwere requested
  7. prabhoO Lord
  8. tvamYou
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Brahmā’s acknowledgment teach me about Kṛṣṇa’s unlimited position?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer of gratitude to Kṛṣṇa for fulfilling the request to relieve the earth’s burden.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Unlimited Lord Fulfills Their RequestThis 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.

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