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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 11.9.1

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीब्राह्मण उवाच

परिग्रहो हि दु:खाय यद् यत्प्रियतमं नृणाम् ।

अनन्तं सुखमाप्नोति तद् विद्वान् यस्त्वकिञ्चन: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-brāhmaṇa uvāca

parigraho hi duḥkhāya

yad yat priyatamaṁ nṛṇām

anantaṁ sukham āpnoti

tad vidvān yas tv akiñcanaḥ

Translation

The saintly brāhmaṇa said: Everyone considers certain things within the material world to be most dear to him, and because of attachment to such things one eventually becomes miserable. One who understands this gives up material possessiveness and attachment and thus achieves unlimited happiness.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Freedom from Possessiveness Brings Happiness

  1. 1

    Everyone considers certain things in the material world especially dear.

  2. 2

    Attachment to these things eventually brings misery.

  3. 3

    One who understands this gives up material possessiveness and attachment, and thus achieves unlimited happiness.

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 9: Detachment from All that Is Material

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The instruction received from the kurara bird is that attachment creates misery, but the person who is unattached and has no material possessions is qualified to achieve unlimited happiness. The avadhūta brāhmaṇa learned from the foolish, lazy child that by becoming free from anxiety a person becomes capable of worshiping the Supreme Personality of Godhead and experiencing supreme ecstasy.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-brāhmaṇaḥ uvācathe saintly brāhmaṇa said
  2. parigrahaḥattachment to possession
  3. hicertainly
  4. duḥkhāyaleading to misery
  5. yat yatwhatever
  6. priya-tamamis most dear
  7. nṛṇāmof men
  8. anantamunlimited
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 11.9

    In this verse: “attachment”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 11.9

    In this verse: “understands”

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

Which possession causes me anxiety because I feel so attached to it?

Practice

Notice one possessive thought today and pause rather than act on it.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFreedom from Possessiveness Brings 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 11.9.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.