Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 - Chapter 20

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 1 Sanskrit: श्रीउद्धव उवाचविधिश्च प्रतिषेधश्च निगमो हीश्वरस्य ते ।अवेक्षतेऽरविन्दाक्ष गुणं दोषं च कर्मणाम् ॥ १ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-uddhava uvācavidhiś ca pratiṣedhaś canigamo hīśvarasya teavekṣate ’raviṇḍākṣaguṇaṁ doṣaṁ ca karmaṇām Translation: Śrī Uddhava said: My dear lotus-eyed Kṛṣṇa, You are the Supreme Lord, and thus the Vedic literatures, consisting of positive and negative injunctions, constitute Your order. Such literatures focus upon the good and bad qualities of work....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 2 Sanskrit: वर्णाश्रमविकल्पं च प्रतिलोमानुलोमजम् ।द्रव्यदेशवय:कालान् स्वर्गं नरकमेव च ॥ २ ॥ ITRANS: varṇāśrama-vikalpaṁ capratilomānulomajamdravya-deśa-vayaḥ-kālānsvargaṁ narakam eva ca Translation: According to Vedic literature, the superior and inferior varieties found in the human social system, varṇāśrama, are due to pious and sinful modes of family planning. Thus piety and sin are constant points of reference in the Vedic analysis of the components of a given situation — namely the material ingredients, place, age and time....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 3 Sanskrit: गुणदोषभिदाद‍ृष्टिमन्तरेण वचस्तव ।नि:श्रेयसं कथं नृणां निषेधविधिलक्षणम् ॥ ३ ॥ ITRANS: guṇa-doṣa-bhidā-dṛṣṭimantareṇa vacas tavaniḥśreyasaṁ kathaṁ nṝṇāṁniṣedha-vidhi-lakṣaṇam Translation: Without seeing the difference between piety and sin, how can one understand Your own instructions in the form of Vedic literatures, which order one to act piously and forbid one to act sinfully? Furthermore, without such authorized Vedic literatures, which ultimately award liberation, how can human beings achieve the perfection of life?...

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4 Sanskrit: पितृदेवमनुष्याणां वेदश्चक्षुस्तवेश्वर ।श्रेयस्त्वनुपलब्धेऽर्थे साध्यसाधनयोरपि ॥ ४ ॥ ITRANS: pitṛ-deva-manuṣyānāṁvedaś cakṣus taveśvaraśreyas tv anupalabdhe ’rthesādhya-sādhanayor api Translation: My dear Lord, to understand those things beyond direct experience — such as spiritual liberation or the attainment of heaven and similar material enjoyments — and in general to understand the means and end of all things, it is imperative that the forefathers, demigods and human beings consult the Vedic literatures, for these literatures, being Your own laws, constitute the highest evidence and revelation....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 5 Sanskrit: गुणदोषभिदाद‍ृष्टिर्निगमात्ते न हि स्वत: ।निगमेनापवादश्च भिदाया इति ह भ्रम: ॥ ५ ॥ ITRANS: guṇa-doṣa-bhidā-dṛṣṭirnigamāt te na hi svataḥnigamenāpavādaś cabhidāyā iti ha bhramaḥ Translation: My dear Lord, the distinction observed between piety and sin comes from Your own Vedic knowledge and does not arise by itself. If the same Vedic literature subsequently nullifies such distinction between piety and sin, there will certainly be confusion....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 6 Sanskrit: श्रीभगवानुवाचयोगास्‍त्रयो मया प्रोक्ता नृणां श्रेयोविधित्सया ।ज्ञानं कर्म च भक्तिश्च नोपायोऽन्योऽस्ति कुत्रचित् ॥ ६ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-bhagavān uvācayogās trayo mayā proktānṝṇāṁ śreyo-vidhitsayājñānaṁ karma ca bhaktiś canopāyo ’nyo ’sti kutracit Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: My dear Uddhava, because I desire that human beings may achieve perfection, I have presented three paths of advancement — the path of knowledge, the path of work and the path of devotion....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 7 Sanskrit: निर्विण्णानां ज्ञानयोगो न्यासिनामिह कर्मसु ।तेष्वनिर्विण्णचित्तानां कर्मयोगस्तु कामिनाम् ॥ ७ ॥ ITRANS: nirviṇṇānāṁ jñāna-yogonyāsinām iha karmasuteṣv anirviṇṇa-cittānāṁkarma-yogas tu kāminām Translation: Among these three paths, jñāna-yoga, the path of philosophical speculation, is recommended for those who are disgusted with material life and are thus detached from ordinary, fruitive activities. Those who are not disgusted with material life, having many desires yet to fulfill, should seek perfection through the path of karma-yoga....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8 Sanskrit: यद‍ृच्छया मत्कथादौ जातश्रद्धस्तु य: पुमान् ।न निर्विण्णो नातिसक्तो भक्तियोगोऽस्य सिद्धिद: ॥ ८ ॥ ITRANS: yadṛcchayā mat-kathādaujāta-śraddhas tu yaḥ pumānna nirviṇṇo nāti-saktobhakti-yogo ’sya siddhi-daḥ Translation: If somehow or other by good fortune one develops faith in hearing and chanting My glories, such a person, being neither disgusted with nor very much attached to material life, should achieve perfection through the path of loving devotion to Me....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9 Sanskrit: तावत् कर्माणि कुर्वीत न निर्विद्येत यावता ।मत्कथाश्रवणादौ वा श्रद्धा यावन्न जायते ॥ ९ ॥ ITRANS: tāvat karmāṇi kurvītana nirvidyeta yāvatāmat-kathā-śravaṇādau vāśraddhā yāvan na jāyate Translation: As long as one is not satiated by fruitive activity and has not awakened his taste for devotional service by śravaṇaṁ kīrtanaṁ viṣṇoḥ, one has to act according to the regulative principles of the Vedic injunctions....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 10 Sanskrit: स्वधर्मस्थो यजन् यज्ञैरनाशी:काम उद्धव ।न याति स्वर्गनरकौ यद्यन्यन्न समाचरेत् ॥ १० ॥ ITRANS: sva-dharma-stho yajan yajñairanāśīḥ-kāma uddhavana yāti svarga-narakauyady anyan na samācaret Translation: My dear Uddhava, a person who is situated in his prescribed duty, properly worshiping by Vedic sacrifices but not desiring the fruitive result of such worship, will not go to the heavenly planets; similarly, by not performing forbidden activities he will not go to hell....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 11 Sanskrit: अस्मिंल्ल‍ोके वर्तमान: स्वधर्मस्थोऽनघ: शुचि: ।ज्ञानं विशुद्धमाप्नोति मद्भ‍‍क्तिं वा यद‍ृच्छया ॥ ११ ॥ ITRANS: asmiḻ loke vartamānaḥsva-dharma-stho ’naghaḥ śuciḥjñānaṁ viśuddham āpnotimad-bhaktiṁ vā yadṛcchayā Translation: One who is situated in his prescribed duty, free from sinful activities and cleansed of material contamination, in this very life obtains transcendental knowledge or, by fortune, devotional service unto Me. Purport: Asmin loke indicates one’s present duration of life....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 12 Sanskrit: स्वर्गिणोऽप्येतमिच्छन्ति लोकं निरयिणस्तथा ।साधकं ज्ञानभक्तिभ्यामुभयं तदसाधकम् ॥ १२ ॥ ITRANS: svargiṇo ’py etam icchantilokaṁ nirayiṇas tathāsādhakaṁ jñāna-bhaktibhyāmubhayaṁ tad-asādhakam Translation: The residents of both heaven and hell desire human birth on the earth planet because human life facilitates the achievement of transcendental knowledge and love of Godhead, whereas neither heavenly nor hellish bodies efficiently provide such opportunities. Purport: Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī points out that in material heaven one becomes absorbed in extraordinary sense gratification and in hell one is absorbed in suffering....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 13 Sanskrit: न नर: स्वर्गतिं काङ्‍क्षेन्नारकीं वा विचक्षण: ।नेमं लोकं च काङ्‍क्षेत देहावेशात् प्रमाद्यति ॥ १३ ॥ ITRANS: na naraḥ svar-gatiṁ kāṅkṣennārakīṁ vā vicakṣaṇaḥnemaṁ lokaṁ ca kāṅkṣetadehāveśāt pramādyati Translation: A human being who is wise should never desire promotion to heavenly planets or residence in hell. Indeed, a human being should also never desire permanent residence on the earth, for by such absorption in the material body one becomes foolishly negligent of one’s actual self-interest....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14 Sanskrit: एतद् विद्वान् पुरा मृत्योरभवाय घटेत स: ।अप्रमत्त इदं ज्ञात्वा मर्त्यमप्यर्थसिद्धिदम् ॥ १४ ॥ ITRANS: etad vidvān purā mṛtyorabhavāya ghaṭeta saḥapramatta idaṁ jñātvāmartyam apy artha-siddhi-dam Translation: A wise person, knowing that although the material body is subject to death it can still award the perfection of one’s life, should not foolishly neglect to take advantage of this opportunity before death arrives....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15 Sanskrit: छिद्यमानं यमैरेतै: कृतनीडं वनस्पतिम् ।खग: स्वकेतमुत्सृज्य क्षेमं याति ह्यलम्पट: ॥ १५ ॥ ITRANS: chidyamānaṁ yamair etaiḥkṛta-nīḍaṁ vanaspatimkhagaḥ sva-ketam utsṛjyakṣemaṁ yāti hy alampaṭaḥ Translation: Without attachment, a bird gives up the tree in which his nest was constructed when that tree is cut down by cruel men who are like death personified, and thus the bird achieves happiness in another place....