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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 11.7.62

Who is speaking and story frame

एकदा जग्मतुस्तासामन्नार्थं तौ कुटुम्बिनौ ।

परित: कानने तस्मिन्नर्थिनौ चेरतुश्चिरम् ॥ ६२ ॥

ekadā jagmatus tāsām

annārthaṁ tau kuṭumbinau

paritaḥ kānane tasminn

arthinau ceratuś ciram

Translation

One day the two heads of the family went out to find food for the children. Being very anxious to feed their offspring properly, they wandered all over the forest for a long time.

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.

Anxiety Accompanies the Search for Food

  1. 1

    Both heads of the family went out to find food for their children.

  2. 2

    They were very anxious to feed their offspring properly.

  3. 3

    Their search took them all over the forest for a long time.

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. ekadāonce
  2. jagmatuḥthey went
  3. tāsāmof the children
  4. annafood
  5. arthamfor the sake of
  6. tauthe two
  7. kuṭumbinauheads of the family
  8. paritaḥall around
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “children”

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 much anxiety accompanies my efforts to provide for others?

Practice

During one task of providing for someone today, pause briefly and notice any anxiety accompanying your effort.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAnxiety Accompanies the Search for FoodThis 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 11.7.62? Get an answer from the verses themselves.