1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 chapters

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 5: Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s Teachings to His Sons
5.5.10-135.5.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.5.14

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Ṛṣabhadevasince 5.5.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Ṛṣabhadeva → His sons

कर्माशयं हृदयग्रन्थिबन्ध-

मविद्ययासादितमप्रमत्त: ।

अनेन योगेन यथोपदेशं

सम्यग्व्यपोह्योपरमेत योगात् ॥ १४ ॥

karmāśayaṁ hṛdaya-granthi-bandham

avidyayāsāditam apramattaḥ

anena yogena yathopadeśaṁ

samyag vyapohyoparameta yogāt

Translation

As I have advised you, My dear sons, you should act accordingly. Be very careful. By these means you will be freed from the ignorance of the desire for fruitive activity, and the knot of bondage in the heart will be completely severed. For further advancement, you should also give up the means. That is, you should not become attached to the process of liberation itself.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Never Give Up Devotional Service

  1. 1

    Carefully follow the spiritual master’s instructions without deviating from or surpassing them. Reading books should be accompanied by carrying out those instructions.

  2. 2

    The search for the Absolute Truth is meant to bring one to transcendental devotional service. When actually engaged in that service, one need not continue a separate search for knowledge.

  3. 3

    Unflinching devotional service itself keeps one in the liberated condition. Other means of self-realization may be given up, but devotional service must always be retained.

Key points from the purport
  • To attain this, one must analyze ones existence, but when one is actually engaged in devotional service he should not bother seeking out knowledge.
  • The point is that one can give up the practice of yoga, but devotional service cannot be given up.
  • Even those who are liberated (ātmārāma) must always engage in devotional service.

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· 3

The purport of SB 5.5.14 quotesBG 18.54

In the words of Bhagavad-gītā (18.54): “One who is thus transcendentally situated at once realizes the Supreme Brahman and becomes fully joyful.

The purport of SB 5.5.14 quotesBG 14.26

brahma-bhūyāya kalpate. The unflinching execution of devotional service is in itself brahma-bhūta.

The purport of SB 5.5.14 quotesSB 1.7.10

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.7.10): Even those who are liberated (ātmārāma) must always engage in devotional service.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Lord Ṛṣabhadeva’s Teachings to His Sons

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Those who are materially attached to women and sense gratification gradually become entangled in material consciousness and suffer the miseries of birth, old age, disease and death. Those who are engaged in the general welfare of all and who are not attached to children and family are called mahātmās.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. karma-āśayamthe desire for fruitive activities
  2. hṛdaya-granthithe knot in the heart
  3. bandhambondage
  4. avidyayābecause of ignorance
  5. āsāditambrought about
  6. apramattaḥnot being covered by ignorance or illusion, very careful
  7. anenaby this
  8. yogenapractice of yoga
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 5.5

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 5.5

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 5.5

    In this verse: “attached”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I treating devotional service as the goal, or only as a means to liberation?

Practice

Put one instruction you have received from the spiritual master into practice today, rather than only reading about it.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

7

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 1.7.10

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.5's connections

Live this todayNever Give Up Devotional ServiceThis 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 5.5.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories