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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
11.7.7311.8.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.7.74

Mukti· Liberation
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

य: प्राप्य मानुषं लोकं मुक्तिद्वारमपावृतम् ।

गृहेषु खगवत् सक्तस्तमारूढच्युतं विदु: ॥ ७४ ॥

yaḥ prāpya mānuṣaṁ lokaṁ

mukti-dvāram apāvṛtam

gṛheṣu khaga-vat saktas

tam ārūḍha-cyutaṁ viduḥ

Translation

The doors of liberation are opened wide to one who has achieved human life. But if a human being simply devotes himself to family life like the foolish bird in this story, then he is to be considered as one who has climbed to a high place only to trip and fall down.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Use Human Life for Liberation

  1. 1

    Achieving human life opens the doors of liberation wide.

  2. 2

    A human being who devotes himself only to family life repeats the foolish bird’s mistake.

  3. 3

    Such a person is compared to someone who climbs to a high place only to trip and fall down.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C.
  • Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Seventh Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Lord Kṛṣṇa Instructs Uddhava.”

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. yaḥone who
  2. prāpyahaving achieved
  3. mānuṣam lokamthe human form of life
  4. muktiof liberation
  5. dvāramthe door
  6. apāvṛtamwide open
  7. gṛheṣuin family affairs
  8. khaga-vatlike the bird of this story
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

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

Am I using the opportunity of human life for its spiritual goal, or only for family affairs?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, rather than allowing family affairs to occupy the whole day.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Human Life for LiberationThis 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 11.7.74? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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