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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.8.41

Who is speaking and story frame

संसारकूपे पतितं विषयैर्मुषितेक्षणम् ।

ग्रस्तं कालाहिनात्मानं कोऽन्यस्त्रातुमधीश्वर: ॥ ४१ ॥

saṁsāra-kūpe patitaṁ

viṣayair muṣitekṣaṇam

grastaṁ kālāhinātmānaṁ

ko ’nyas trātum adhīśvaraḥ

Translation

The intelligence of the living entity is stolen away by activities of sense gratification, and thus he falls into the dark well of material existence. Within that well he is then seized by the deadly serpent of time. Who else but the Supreme Personality of Godhead could save the poor living entity from such a hopeless condition?

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.

Only the Supreme Lord Can Deliver

  1. 1

    Sense gratification steals the living entity's intelligence and leads him into the dark well of material existence. There he is seized by time, compared to a deadly serpent.

  2. 2

    Even the demigods are subject to birth and death. They cannot provide the complete deliverance the living entity needs.

  3. 3

    The only solution to life's problems is to take shelter of the Lord's lotus feet and return to Godhead. The purport affirms that Viṣṇu is the giver of liberation for everyone.

Key points from the purport
  • Piṅgalā stated in a previous verse that even the demigods are unable to give actual happiness to a woman.
  • The answer given here is that if one actually wants to solve all the problems of life and go back home, back to Godhead, then the only solution is to take shelter of the lotus feet of the Lord.
  • As stated by Lord Śiva himself, mukti-pradātā sarveṣāṁ viṣṇur eva na saṁśayaḥ: “There is no doubt that Viṣṇu is the deliverer of liberation for everyone.”

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:

Similarly, the man who becomes attached to the form of woman falls down into the deep well of material life and is destroyed. 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. saṁsāramaterial existence
  2. kūpein the dark well
  3. patitamfallen
  4. viṣayaiḥby sense gratification
  5. muṣitastolen away
  6. īkṣaṇamvision
  7. grastamseized
  8. kālaof time
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “death”

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 11.8

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Where do I turn for shelter when I recognize that material enjoyment cannot save me from time?

Practice

Take a quiet moment today to ask the Supreme Personality of Godhead for shelter at His lotus feet.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOnly the Supreme Lord Can DeliverThis 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 11.8.41? Get an answer from the verses themselves.