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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 9: Detachment from All that Is Material
11.9.2011.9.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 11.9.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The saintly brāhmaṇasince 11.9.1inside 4 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Kṛṣṇa → UddhavaThe avadhūta → King Yadu

यथोर्णनाभिर्हृदयादूर्णां सन्तत्य वक्त्रत: ।

तया विहृत्य भूयस्तां ग्रसत्येवं महेश्वर: ॥ २१ ॥

yathorṇanābhir hṛdayād

ūrṇāṁ santatya vaktrataḥ

tayā vihṛtya bhūyas tāṁ

grasaty evaṁ maheśvaraḥ

Translation

Just as from within himself the spider expands thread through his mouth, plays with it for some time and eventually swallows it, similarly, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands His personal potency from within Himself. Thus, the Lord displays the network of cosmic manifestation, utilizes it according to His purpose and eventually withdraws it completely within Himself.

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.

See Spiritual Knowledge Everywhere

  1. 1

    Just as a spider expands and withdraws its thread, the Supreme Personality of Godhead expands His personal potency and withdraws the cosmic manifestation.

  2. 2

    The Lord displays this cosmic network and uses it according to His purpose.

  3. 3

    An intelligent person can obtain spiritual knowledge even from a spider. For one whose eyes are opened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, transcendental knowledge is visible everywhere.

Key points from the purport
  • One who is intelligent obtains spiritual knowledge even from an insignificant creature like the spider.
  • Thus, transcendental knowledge is visible everywhere for one whose eyes are opened in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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 9: Detachment from All that Is Material

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The instruction obtained from the spider, who spins his web from his mouth and then withdraws it, is that the Supreme Personality of Godhead similarly creates from out of Himself the whole universe and then winds it up into Himself.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 11.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yathājust as
  2. ūrna-nābhiḥthe spider
  3. hṛdayātfrom within himself
  4. ūrṇāmthread
  5. santatyaexpanding
  6. vaktrataḥfrom his mouth
  7. tayāwith that thread
  8. vihṛtyaenjoying
3

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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

How might Kṛṣṇa consciousness change the way you observe the world?

Practice

Spend a minute reflecting on the spider’s thread as an illustration of the Lord’s expansion and withdrawal of His potency.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySee Spiritual Knowledge EverywhereThis 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 11.9.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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