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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 11.9.32

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीभगवानुवाच

इत्युक्त्वा स यदुं विप्रस्तमामन्‍त्र्य गभीरधी: ।

वन्दित: स्वर्चितो राज्ञा ययौ प्रीतो यथागतम् ॥ ३२ ॥

śrī-bhagavān uvāca

ity uktvā sa yaduṁ vipras

tam āmantrya gabhīra-dhīḥ

vanditaḥ sv-arcito rājñā

yayau prīto yathāgatam

Translation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Having thus spoken to King Yadu, the wise brāhmaṇa accepted obeisances and worship from the King and felt pleased within himself. Then bidding farewell, he left exactly as he had come.

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.

Honor the Lord’s Spiritual Instruction

  1. 1

    After speaking to King Yadu, the wise brāhmaṇa accepted the King’s obeisances and worship. Pleased within himself, he bade farewell and left just as he had come.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī identifies the avadhūta brāhmaṇa as Dattātreya, an incarnation of Godhead. Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura confirms that he is the Personality of Godhead Himself.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that Yadu was purified by contact with Dattātreya’s lotus feet. King Yadu’s worship of the brāhmaṇa’s lotus feet supports this identification.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī gives evidence from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam that the brāhmaṇa avadhūta was actually the incarnation of Godhead Dattātreya.
  • This verse mentions that Yadu was purified by contact with the lotus feet of Dattātreya, and similarly the present verse states, vandito sv-arcito rājñā: King Yadu worshiped the lotus feet of the brāhmaṇa.
  • Thus, according to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the avadhūta brāhmaṇa is the Personality of Godhead Himself, and this is confirmed by Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 11.9.32 quotesSB 2.7.4

The Bhāgavatam (2.7.4) states: “Many Yadus, Haihayas, etc., became so purified, by the grace of the lotus feet of Dattātreya, the Lord, that they obtained both material and spiritual blessings.”

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. śrī-bhagavān uvācathe Supreme Personality of Godhead said
  2. itithus
  3. uktvāhaving spoken
  4. saḥhe
  5. yadumto King Yadu
  6. vipraḥthe brāhmaṇa
  7. tamto the King
  8. āmantryabidding farewell
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 11.9

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 11.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 11.9

    In this verse: “purified”

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 can I show sincere respect and gratitude for the spiritual instruction I receive?

Practice

After reading today, offer a respectful bow to the Lord in gratitude for His spiritual instruction.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 2.7.4

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 11.9's connections

Live this todayHonor the Lord’s Spiritual InstructionThis 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 11.9.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.