1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 11 · General History · 31 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
11.7.6911.7.71

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.70

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The male pigeonsince 11.7.68inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King Yadu

सोऽहं शून्ये गृहे दीनो मृतदारो मृतप्रज: ।

जिजीविषे किमर्थं वा विधुरो दु:खजीवित: ॥ ७० ॥

so ’haṁ śūnye gṛhe dīno

mṛta-dāro mṛta-prajaḥ

jijīviṣe kim arthaṁ vā

vidhuro duḥkha-jīvitaḥ

Translation

Now I am a wretched person living in an empty home. My wife is dead; my children are dead. Why should I possibly want to live? My heart is so pained by separation from my family that life itself has become simply suffering.

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.

Separation Makes the Pigeon’s Life Seem Empty

  1. 1

    The pigeon saw himself as a wretched person left in an empty home.

  2. 2

    Believing his wife and children dead, he questioned why he should want to live.

  3. 3

    His heart was so pained by separation that life itself seemed only suffering.

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. saḥ ahammyself
  2. śūnyeempty
  3. gṛhein the house
  4. dīnaḥwretched
  5. mṛta-dāraḥmy wife dead
  6. mṛta-prajaḥmy children dead
  7. jijīviṣeI should want to live
  8. kim arthamfor what purpose
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

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

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “children”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

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

    In this verse: “separation”

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

What does this lament reveal about making family companionship my sole reason for living?

Practice

Write one sentence describing how the pigeon’s dependence on family happiness shaped his despair.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySeparation Makes the Pigeon’s Life Seem EmptyThis 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 11.7.70? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories