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Study a Verse

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 8: The Story of Piṅgalā

11.8.23 11.8.25-26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.8.24

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The saintly brāhmaṇasince 11.8.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King Yadu

मार्ग आगच्छतो वीक्ष्य पुरुषान् पुरुषर्षभ ।

तान् शुल्कदान् वित्तवत: कान्तान् मेनेऽर्थकामुकी ॥ २४ ॥

mārga āgacchato vīkṣya

puruṣān puruṣarṣabha

tān śulka-dān vittavataḥ

kāntān mene ’rtha-kāmukī

Translation

O best among men, this prostitute was very anxious to get money, and as she stood on the street at night she studied all the men who were passing by, thinking, “Oh, this one surely has money. I know he can pay the price, and I am sure he would enjoy my company very much.” Thus she thought about all the men on the street.

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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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Desire for Money Shapes Her Attention

1
Piṅgalā was very anxious to get money as she stood on the street at night.
2
She studied the men passing by, imagining that each might have enough money to pay her.
3
She also imagined that they would enjoy her company. Her thoughts about them were shaped by her desire for money.

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

Chapter 8: The Story of Piṅgalā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The instruction received from the second insect, the honeybee, is that a mendicant sannyāsī should not save the food he begs for the sake of having it later that night or the next day, because if he does so, then just like the greedy honeybee he will be destroyed along with his hoard. From the elephant the avadhūta brāhmaṇa received the following instruction.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.8