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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 5 · Chapter 11: Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa
5.11.35.11.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.11.4

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The brāhmaṇa Jaḍa Bharatasince 5.11.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitJaḍa Bharata → King Rahūgaṇa

यावन्मनो रजसा पूरुषस्यसत्त्वेन वा तमसा वानुरुद्धम् । चेतोभिराकूतिभिरातनोतिनिरङ्कुशं कुशलं चेतरं वा ॥ ४ ॥

yāvan mano rajasā pūruṣasya

sattvena vā tamasā vānuruddham

cetobhir ākūtibhir ātanoti

niraṅkuśaṁ kuśalaṁ cetaraṁ vā

Translation

As long as the mind of the living entity is contaminated by the three modes of material nature (goodness, passion and ignorance), his mind is exactly like an independent, uncontrolled elephant. It simply expands its jurisdiction of pious and impious activities by using the senses. The result is that the living entity remains in the material world to enjoy and suffer pleasures and pains due to material activity.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Go Beyond Both Piety and Sin

  1. 1

    A mind contaminated by goodness, passion and ignorance is like an uncontrolled elephant. Through the senses, it expands both pious and impious activities.

  2. 2

    Material pious and impious activities both entangle the living entity in pleasure and pain. Devotional service means freedom from this material entanglement.

  3. 3

    Moving from ignorance to passion, or from passion to goodness, does not fully solve the problem. Life’s mission requires reaching the transcendental platform.

Key points from the purport
  • In Caitanya-caritāmṛta it is said that material pious and impious activities are both opposed to the principle of devotional service.
  • Devotional service means mukti, freedom from material entanglement, but pious and impious activities result in entanglement within this material world.
  • If the mind is captivated by the pious and impious activities mentioned in the Vedas, one remains eternally in darkness; one cannot attain the absolute platform.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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 5.11.4 quotesBG 14.26

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (14.26), sa guṇān samatītyaitān brahma-bhūyāya kalpate.

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

Misjudgment → Humility and insight. Spiritual insight hides behind social appearances.

Chapters 10–14 of Canto 5: Jaḍa Bharata instructs Rahūgaṇa. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Jaḍa Bharata Instructs King Rahūgaṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The conditioned soul is always overpowered by the modes of material nature, and consequently he is simply concerned with material benefits and auspicious and inauspicious material things. In other words, the mind, which is the leader of the senses, is absorbed in material activities life after life.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yāvatas long as
  2. manaḥthe mind
  3. rajasāby the mode of passion
  4. pūruṣasyaof the living entity
  5. sattvenaby the mode of goodness
  6. vāor
  7. tamasāby the mode of darkness
  8. vāor
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.11

    In this verse: “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.11

    In this verse: “contaminated”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 5.11

    In this verse: “devotional service”

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

Am I seeking only better material conditions, or freedom through devotional service?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today for devotional service without seeking a material result.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGo Beyond Both Piety and SinThis 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 5.11.4? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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