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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 · Text 11.7.71

Who is speaking and story frame

तांस्तथैवावृतान् शिग्भिर्मृत्युग्रस्तान् विचेष्टत: ।

स्वयं च कृपण: शिक्षु पश्यन्नप्यबुधोऽपतत् ॥ ७१ ॥

tāṁs tathaivāvṛtān śigbhir

mṛtyu-grastān viceṣṭataḥ

svayaṁ ca kṛpaṇaḥ śikṣu

paśyann apy abudho ’patat

Translation

As the father pigeon wretchedly stared at his poor children trapped in the net and on the verge of death, pathetically struggling to free themselves, his mind went blank, and thus he himself fell into the hunter’s net.

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.

Overwhelming Grief Can Overcome Clear Judgment

  1. 1

    The father pigeon stared at his children trapped in the net and on the verge of death.

  2. 2

    He watched them struggling helplessly to free themselves.

  3. 3

    His mind went blank, and he himself fell into the hunter’s net.

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 moon he had learned how the various phases the material body undergoes — birth, growth, dwindling and death — do not affect the embodied soul. From the sun he had learned how to avoid entanglement even while coming into contact with sense objects, and he had also learned about the two different modes of perception based on seeing the real form of the soul and seeing false designative coverings.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tānthem
  2. tathāalso
  3. evaindeed
  4. āvṛtānsurrounded
  5. śigbhiḥby the net
  6. mṛtyuby death
  7. grastānseized
  8. viceṣṭataḥstunned
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: “father”, “children”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.7

    In this verse: “death”

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 distress overwhelms me, how might it prevent me from recognizing danger?

Practice

Before acting on one distressing concern today, pause and name the danger you need to avoid.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOverwhelming Grief Can Overcome Clear JudgmentThis 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 11.7.71? Get an answer from the verses themselves.