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 8: The Story of Piṅgalā
11.8.25-2611.8.28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.8.27

Mukti· Liberation
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

तस्या वित्ताशया शुष्यद्वक्त्राया दीनचेतस: ।

निर्वेद: परमो जज्ञे चिन्ताहेतु: सुखावह: ॥ २७ ॥

tasyā vittāśayā śuṣyad-

vaktrāyā dīna-cetasaḥ

nirvedaḥ paramo jajñe

cintā-hetuḥ sukhāvahaḥ

Translation

As the night wore on, the prostitute, who intensely desired money, gradually became morose, and her face dried up. Thus being filled with anxiety for money and most disappointed, she began to feel a great detachment from her situation, and happiness arose in her mind.

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.

Disappointment Opens the Way to Detachment

  1. 1

    Piṅgalā’s intense desire for money left her morose and anxious when no customers came. Her disappointment gradually made her indifferent to her situation.

  2. 2

    She had engaged her mind, body and words in serving paying lovers, forgetting devotional service to the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Her mind had therefore become unsteady and disturbed.

  3. 3

    As great detachment arose, happiness appeared in her mind. The purport explains that suffering sometimes leads one toward enlightenment.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus, great suffering sometimes leads one to the path of enlightenment; or, according to a Sanskrit proverb, disappointment gives rise to the greatest satisfaction.
  • Engaging her mind, body and words in the service of paying lovers, she completely forgot the devotional service of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and thus her mind was most unsteady and disturbed.
  • Finally, being completely frustrated, her face and throat drying up, she began to feel indifferent to her situation, and happiness arose in her mind.

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 8: The Story of Piṅgalā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The instruction received from the honey thief is that just as he steals the honey collected with great effort by the honeybee, a person in the renounced order of life has the privilege of enjoying before anyone else the food and other valuable things purchased by the hard-earned money of the householders.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyāḥof her
  2. vittafor money
  3. āśayāby the desire
  4. śuṣyatdried up
  5. vaktrāyāḥher face
  6. dīnamorose
  7. cetasaḥher mind
  8. nirvedaḥdetachment
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “detachment”, “indifferent”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “devotional service”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “suffering”

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

Could a disappointment help me loosen an attachment that distracts me from devotional service?

Practice

Name one recent disappointment and spend a quiet moment considering whether you can release the expectation behind it.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDisappointment Opens the Way to DetachmentThis 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 11.8.27? 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