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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.
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Canto 11 · Chapter 7: Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava
11.7.6411.7.66

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.65

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

कपोती स्वात्मजान् वीक्ष्य बालकान् जालसंवृतान् ।

तानभ्यधावत् क्रोशन्ती क्रोशतो भृशदु:खिता ॥ ६५ ॥

kapotī svātmajān vīkṣya

bālakān jāla-saṁvṛtān

tān abhyadhāvat krośantī

krośato bhṛśa-duḥkhitā

Translation

When the lady pigeon caught sight of her own children trapped within the hunter’s net, she was overwhelmed with anguish, and crying out, she rushed toward them as they cried out to her in return.

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.

Anguish Can Drive Hasty Action

  1. 1

    The lady pigeon saw her own children trapped within the hunter’s net.

  2. 2

    Overwhelmed with anguish, she cried out and rushed toward them.

  3. 3

    Her children cried back to her, deepening the distress of the scene.

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. kapotīthe female pigeon
  2. sva-ātma-jānher own offspring
  3. vīkṣyaseeing
  4. bālakānthe children
  5. jālaby the nest
  6. saṁvṛtānsurrounded
  7. tāntoward them
  8. abhyadhāvatshe ran
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

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “cried”, “crying”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “children”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “distress”

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 dear to me suffers, does anguish make me rush forward without considering the danger?

Practice

When worry about a loved one arises today, pause briefly before deciding how to respond.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAnguish Can Drive Hasty ActionThis 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 11.7.65? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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