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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 7: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava
11.7.1711.7.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.18

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Uddhavasince 11.7.14inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → Uddhava

तस्माद् भवन्तमनवद्यमनन्तपारं

सर्वज्ञमीश्वरमकुण्ठविकुण्ठधिष्ण्यम् ।

निर्विण्णधीरहमु हे वृजिनाभितप्तो

नारायणं नरसखं शरणं प्रपद्ये ॥ १८ ॥

tasmād bhavantam anavadyam ananta-pāraṁ

sarva-jñam īśvaram akuṇṭha-vikuṇṭha-dhiṣṇyam

nirviṇṇa-dhīr aham u he vṛjinābhitapto

nārāyaṇaṁ nara-sakhaṁ śaraṇaṁ prapadye

Translation

Therefore, O Lord, feeling weary of material life and tormented by its distresses, I now surrender unto You because You are the perfect master. You are the unlimited, all-knowing Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose spiritual abode in Vaikuṇṭha is free from all disturbances. In fact, You are known as Nārāyaṇa, the true friend of all living beings.

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 Is Our Perfect Shelter

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is eternally faultless and unlimited by time or space. Unlike temporary masters, He can always reward His faithful servants.

  2. 2

    Kṛṣṇa knows everything and never forgets His devotee's sincere service. As the supreme controller, His promise of protection is eternally valid.

  3. 3

    Taking shelter of Kṛṣṇa means serving Him devotionally and obeying Him. His faithful servants return to His undisturbed abode for eternal life in bliss and knowledge.

Key points from the purport
  • Here Uddhava points out that only Śrī Kṛṣṇa, the Personality of Godhead, is a proper master, friend and shelter for the conditioned souls.
  • Therefore Lord Kṛṣṇa is here described as ananta-pāram, which indicates that He is not limited by time or space.
  • The faithful servants of Lord Kṛṣṇa will certainly go back to Godhead, back home, for an eternal life of bliss and knowledge in the personal abode of 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

Grief and dependence → Detachment. The temporary world becomes a source of spiritual instruction.

Chapters 7–9 of Canto 11: The avadhuta's twenty-four teachers. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Even great demigods like Brahmā are not completely surrendered to the Lord, but Uddhava declared that he himself had taken shelter of the only true instructor of the Absolute Truth — Lord Nārāyaṇa, the all-perfect, all-knowing master of Vaikuṇṭha and the only real friend of all living entities. Hearing this, the Supreme Lord replied that actually the jīva soul is his own guru.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. bhavantamunto You
  3. anavadyamthe perfect
  4. ananta-pāramunlimited
  5. sarva-jñamomniscient
  6. īśvaramPersonality of Godhead
  7. akuṇṭhaundisturbed by any force
  8. vikuṇṭhathe spiritual kingdom Vaikuṇṭha
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “surrender”, “shelter”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “free from”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What would it mean for me to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa through obedience and service today?

Practice

Offer a short prayer naming one distress, and ask Kṛṣṇa to help you respond as His faithful servant.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Is Our Perfect ShelterThis 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 11.7.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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