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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
11.7.6011.7.62

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.61

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇasince 11.7.32inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King Yadu

स्‍नेहानुबद्धहृदयावन्योन्यं विष्णुमायया ।

विमोहितौ दीनधियौ शिशून् पुपुषतु: प्रजा: ॥ ६१ ॥

snehānubaddha-hṛdayāv

anyonyaṁ viṣṇu-māyayā

vimohitau dīna-dhiyau

śiśūn pupuṣatuḥ prajāḥ

Translation

Their hearts bound to each other by affection, the foolish birds, completely bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu, continued to take care of the young offspring who had been born to them.

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.

Affection Can Bind and Bewilder

  1. 1

    The birds’ hearts were bound to each other by affection.

  2. 2

    They were completely bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu. The translation describes them as foolish.

  3. 3

    In this bewildered condition, they continued caring for their offspring. Their affectionate care existed alongside their lack of clear understanding.

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:

From the pigeon he had learned how too much affection and excessive attachment are not good for one. This human body is the open door to liberation, but if one becomes attached to family life like the pigeon, one is compared to a person who has climbed up to a high place just to fall down again.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. snehaby affection
  2. anubaddhabound up
  3. hṛdayautheir hearts
  4. anyonyammutually
  5. viṣṇu-māyayāby the illusory potency of Lord Viṣṇu
  6. vimohitaucompletely bewildered
  7. dīna-dhiyauweak-minded
  8. śiśūntheir children
  9. pupuṣatuḥthey nourished
  10. prajāḥtheir progeny
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understanding”

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

Where might affection be making it difficult for me to see clearly?

Practice

Identify one attachment today and pause to consider whether it clouds your judgment.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAffection Can Bind and BewilderThis 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 11.7.61? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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