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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

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

11.8.38 11.8.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.8.39

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

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

तेनोपकृतमादाय शिरसा ग्राम्यसङ्गता: ।

त्यक्त्वा दुराशा: शरणं व्रजामि तमधीश्वरम् ॥ ३९ ॥

tenopakṛtam ādāya

śirasā grāmya-saṅgatāḥ

tyaktvā durāśāḥ śaraṇaṁ

vrajāmi tam adhīśvaram

Translation

With devotion I accept the great benefit that the Lord has bestowed upon me. Having given up my sinful desires for ordinary sense gratification, I now take shelter of Him, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Accept Mercy and Take Shelter

1
Piṅgalā accepts with devotion the great benefit the Lord has bestowed upon her.
2
She gives up her sinful desires for ordinary sense gratification.
3
Her response is to take shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Gratitude leads her to a clear devotional choice.

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 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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 11.8

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tenaby Him (the Lord)
upakṛtamthe great help rendered
ādāyaaccepting
śirasāupon my head, with devotion
grāmyaordinary sense gratification
saṅgatāḥrelated to
tyaktvāgiving up
durāśāḥsinful desires

Key ideas in this verse

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

Āśraya · The summum bonum
Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.8
In this verse: “sense gratification”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.8
In this verse: “devotion”
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.8
In this verse: “sinful”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can my gratitude for the Lord's help become a choice to take shelter of Him?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer of gratitude and ask the Lord for shelter from one desire for sense gratification.

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAccept Mercy and Take ShelterThis 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 11.8.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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