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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 7: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava
11.7.2511.7.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.26

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Yadusince 11.7.26inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King Yadu

श्रीयदुरुवाच

कुतो बुद्धिरियं ब्रह्मन्नकर्तु: सुविशारदा ।

यामासाद्य भवाल्ल‍ोकं विद्वांश्चरति बालवत् ॥ २६ ॥

śrī-yadur uvāca

kuto buddhir iyaṁ brahmann

akartuḥ su-viśāradā

yām āsādya bhavāl lokaṁ

vidvāṁś carati bāla-vat

Translation

Śrī Yadu said: O brāhmaṇa, I see that you are not engaged in any practical religious activity, and yet you have acquired a most expert understanding of all things and all people within this world. Kindly tell me, sir, how did you acquire this extraordinary intelligence, and why are you traveling freely throughout the world behaving as if you were a child?

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

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.

Ask About the Source of Wisdom

  1. 1

    Yadu saw that the brāhmaṇa was not engaged in apparent practical religious activity, yet understood the world and its people expertly.

  2. 2

    He respectfully asked how the brāhmaṇa had acquired such extraordinary intelligence.

  3. 3

    He also asked why the brāhmaṇa traveled freely throughout the world, behaving like a child.

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:

In this regard, Lord Kṛṣṇa began to describe an ancient conversation between a brāhmaṇa avadhūta and the great king Yadu. The son of Yayāti, Mahārāja Yadu, once encountered an avadhūta who was traveling about, here and there, in great transcendental ecstasy and was acting unpredictably, just like someone who has become haunted by a ghost.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-yaduḥ uvācaKing Yadu said
  2. kutaḥfrom where
  3. buddhiḥintelligence
  4. iyamthis
  5. brahmanO brāhmaṇa
  6. akartuḥof one not engaged in any work
  7. su-viśāradāvery broad
  8. yāmwhich
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “understanding”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “kindly”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “religious”

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

When someone's conduct puzzles me, do I respectfully inquire before judging?

Practice

Turn one quick judgment about another person's spiritual conduct into a respectful question.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk About the Source of WisdomThis 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 11.7.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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