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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 · Texts 11.7.33-35

Who is speaking and story frame

पृथिवी वायुराकाशमापोऽग्निश्चन्द्रमा रवि: ।

कपोतोऽजगर: सिन्धु: पतङ्गो मधुकृद् गज: ॥ ३३ ॥

मधुहाहरिणो मीन: पिङ्गला कुररोऽर्भक: ।

कुमारी शरकृत् सर्प ऊर्णनाभि: सुपेशकृत् ॥ ३४ ॥

एते मे गुरवो राजन् चतुर्विंशतिराश्रिता: ।

शिक्षा वृत्तिभिरेतेषामन्वशिक्षमिहात्मन: ॥ ३५ ॥

pṛthivī vāyur ākāśam

āpo ’gniś candramā raviḥ

kapoto ’jagaraḥ sindhuḥ

pataṅgo madhukṛd gajaḥ

madhu-hā hariṇo mīnaḥ

piṅgalā kuraro ’rbhakaḥ

kumārī śara-kṛt sarpa

ūrṇanābhiḥ supeśakṛt

ete me guravo rājan

catur-viṁśatir āśritāḥ

śikṣā vṛttibhir eteṣām

anvaśikṣam ihātmanaḥ

Translation

O King, I have taken shelter of twenty-four gurus, who are the following: the earth, air, sky, water, fire, moon, sun, pigeon and python; the sea, moth, honeybee, elephant and honey thief; the deer, the fish, the prostitute Piṅgalā, the kurara bird and the child; and the young girl, arrow maker, serpent, spider and wasp. My dear King, by studying their activities I have learned the science of the self.

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.

Learning the Science of the Self

  1. 1

    The speaker has taken shelter of twenty-four gurus. These include the earth, air, water, animals, birds and people.

  2. 2

    By studying their activities, he has learned the science of the self. His learning comes from carefully observing these teachers.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that the wasp is called supeśa-kṛt because it causes the insect it kills to take a beautiful form in the next life.

Key points from the purport
  • The wasp is known as supeśa-kṛt because it causes the insect that it kills to take a beautiful form in the next life.

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:

The King inquired from the holy man about the cause of his wandering and his ecstatic condition, and the avadhūta replied that he had received various instructions from twenty-four different gurus — the earth, the wind, the sky, the water, fire, and so on. Because of the knowledge he had gained from them, he was able to travel about the earth in a liberated state.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. pṛthivīthe earth
  2. vāyuḥthe air
  3. ākāśamthe sky
  4. āpaḥthe water
  5. agniḥthe fire
  6. candramāḥthe moon
  7. raviḥthe sun
  8. kapotaḥthe pigeon
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “child”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

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

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

How might careful observation help me become more thoughtful about the self?

Practice

Choose one teacher from the list and spend a minute carefully observing it or recalling its activities.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLearning the Science of the SelfThis 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 11.7.33-35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.