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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.6.8

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वं मायया त्रिगुणयात्मनि दुर्विभाव्यं

व्यक्तं सृजस्यवसि लुम्पसि तद्गुणस्थ: ।

नैतैर्भवानजित कर्मभिरज्यते वै

यत् स्वे सुखेऽव्यवहितेऽभिरतोऽनवद्य: ॥ ८ ॥

tvaṁ māyayā tri-guṇayātmani durvibhāvyaṁ

vyaktaṁ sṛjasy avasi lumpasi tad-guṇa-sthaḥ

naitair bhavān ajita karmabhir ajyate vai

yat sve sukhe ’vyavahite ’bhirato ’navadyaḥ

Translation

O unconquerable Lord, You engage Your illusory energy, composed of three modes, to unleash, maintain and devastate the inconceivable manifest cosmos, all within Your own self. As the supreme superintendent of māyā, You appear to be situated in the interaction of the modes of nature; however, You are never affected by material activities. In fact, You are directly engaged in Your own eternal, spiritual bliss, and thus You cannot be accused of any material infection.

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.

Kṛṣṇa Remains Beyond Material Influence

  1. 1

    The Lord creates, maintains and destroys the cosmos through His illusory energy, yet material activities never affect Him. The ultimate cause of these cosmic workings is beyond mundane speculation.

  2. 2

    No fault or discrepancy exists in the body, character, activities or instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is free from all three modes of material nature.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa eternally relishes the loving devotion of His associates in spiritual bliss. He has nothing to gain from anyone, so fruitive activity cannot exist within Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is never materially ignorant; therefore He never exhibits cruelty, laziness, foolishness, blindness or material intoxication.
  • The Lord never descends to the dry platform of relative material happiness.
  • The infinite Personality of Godhead has nothing to gain from anyone; thus fruitive activity cannot possibly exist within 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.

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:

Although Kṛṣṇa creates, maintains and destroys this world through His material energy, He remains transcendental to the material energy and perfectly self-satisfied. Even in the midst of His sixteen thousand queens, Lord Kṛṣṇa is undisturbed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamYou
  2. māyayāby the material energy
  3. tri-guṇayāmade up of the three modes of nature
  4. ātmaniwithin Yourself
  5. durvibhāvyaminconceivable
  6. vyaktamthe manifest cosmos
  7. sṛjasiYou create
  8. avasiprotect
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: “māyā”, “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotion”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

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

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I sometimes judge Kṛṣṇa’s activities by the limitations of material life?

Practice

Reread the translation and pause over the statement that Kṛṣṇa is always engaged in His own eternal, spiritual bliss.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Remains Beyond Material InfluenceThis 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 11.6.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.