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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 8: The Story of Piṅgalā
11.8.3511.8.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.8.36

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The prostitute Piṅgalāsince 11.8.30inside 5 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King YaduPiṅgalā → herself

कियत् प्रियं ते व्यभजन् कामा ये कामदा नरा: ।

आद्यन्तवन्तो भार्याया देवा वा कालविद्रुता: ॥ ३६ ॥

kiyat priyaṁ te vyabhajan

kāmā ye kāma-dā narāḥ

ādy-antavanto bhāryāyā

devā vā kāla-vidrutāḥ

Translation

Men provide sense gratification for women, but all these men, and even the demigods in heaven, have a beginning and an end. They are all temporary creations who will be dragged away by time. Therefore how much actual pleasure or happiness could any of them ever give to their wives?

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.

Temporary Enjoyment Cannot Give Lasting Happiness

  1. 1

    Men and even the demigods in heaven have a beginning and an end. Time eventually takes them all away.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that everyone in the material world is pursuing personal sense gratification while being overcome by time.

  3. 3

    Piṅgalā discovers that so-called material love is a cheating process. Relationships based on sense gratification cannot provide the actual happiness she seeks.

Key points from the purport
  • In this material world everyone is basically pursuing his personal sense gratification, and thus everyone is being ruined by the influence of time.
  • On the material platform no one actually helps anyone else.
  • So-called material love is simply a cheating process, as the lady Piṅgalā is now discovering.

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 her is that hopes for sense gratification are the root cause of all suffering. Therefore, only one who has given up such hankering can fix himself in meditation upon the Personality of Godhead and achieve transcendental peace.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kiyathow much
  2. priyamactual happiness
  3. tethey
  4. vyabhajanhave provided
  5. kāmāḥsense gratification
  6. yeand those
  7. kāma-dāḥwho give sense gratification
  8. narāḥmen
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “love”

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 expecting lasting happiness from someone who is also subject to time?

Practice

Notice one expectation of personal enjoyment you place on another person, and reflect on its temporary nature.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTemporary Enjoyment Cannot Give Lasting HappinessThis 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 11.8.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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