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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
11.6.4311.6.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.6.44

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 11.6.42inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

तव विक्रीडितं कृष्ण नृणां परममङ्गलम् ।

कर्णपीयूषमासाद्य त्यजन्त्यन्यस्पृहां जना: ॥ ४४ ॥

tava vikrīḍitaṁ kṛṣṇa

nṛṇāṁ parama-maṅgalam

karṇa-pīyūṣam āsādya

tyajanty anya-spṛhāṁ janāḥ

Translation

O my dear Kṛṣṇa, Your pastimes are supremely auspicious for mankind and are an intoxicating beverage for the ears. Tasting such pastimes, people forget their desires for other things.

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.

Taste Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes and Desire His Service

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes are supremely auspicious for humanity and deeply satisfying to hear. By tasting them, people give up desires for other things.

  2. 2

    Even a desire for religious salvation remains mundane when sought for personal comfort. On the spiritual platform, the pure soul thinks only of the Lord’s pleasure and service.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee cannot give up Kṛṣṇa even for a moment. Yet for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure, the devotee can give up the entire universe.

Key points from the purport
  • Anya-spṛhām, or “desire for things other than Kṛṣṇa,” indicates the material desire to enjoy wife, children, money, and so on.
  • Ultimately, the materialist may desire religious salvation for his personal comfort and satisfaction, but all such desires are mundane, because on the spiritual platform the pure soul thinks only of the Lord’s pleasure and the Lord’s service.
  • Therefore, a pure devotee can never give up Kṛṣṇa, even for a moment, although for Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure he can give up the entire universe.

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:

If one tastes the nectar of Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes with his ears, one loses all hankering for other things. Persons who engage constantly in Kṛṣṇa’s service — while eating, sporting, sleeping, sitting, etc. — cannot tolerate separation from Kṛṣṇa.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tavaYour
  2. vikrīḍitampastimes
  3. kṛṣṇaO Kṛṣṇa
  4. nṛṇāmfor men
  5. parama-maṅgalamsupremely auspicious
  6. karṇafor the ears
  7. pīyūṣamnectar
  8. āsādyahaving tasted
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “devotee”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.6

    In this verse: “religious”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where am I seeking my own satisfaction rather than Kṛṣṇa’s pleasure?

Practice

Spend a few minutes hearing or reading about Kṛṣṇa’s pastimes, with the intention of nourishing your desire to serve Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTaste Kṛṣṇa’s Pastimes and Desire His ServiceThis 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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