Srimad Bhagavatam Canto 11 - Chapter 21

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 1 Sanskrit: श्रीभगवानुवाचय एतान् मत्पथो हित्वा भक्तिज्ञानक्रियात्मकान् ।क्षुद्रान् कामांश्चलै: प्राणैर्जुषन्त: संसरन्ति ते ॥ १ ॥ ITRANS: śrī-bhagavān uvācaya etān mat-patho hitvābhakti-jñāna-kriyātmakānkṣudrān kāmāṁś calaiḥ prāṇairjuṣantaḥ saṁsaranti te Translation: The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: Those who give up these methods for achieving Me, which consist of devotional service, analytic philosophy and regulated execution of prescribed duties, and instead, being moved by the material senses, cultivate insignificant sense gratification, certainly undergo the continual cycle of material existence....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 2 Sanskrit: स्वे स्वेऽधिकारे या निष्ठा स गुण: परिकीर्तित: ।विपर्ययस्तु दोष: स्यादुभयोरेष निश्चय: ॥ २ ॥ ITRANS: sve sve ’dhikāre yā niṣṭhāsa guṇaḥ parikīrtitaḥviparyayas tu doṣaḥ syādubhayor eṣa niścayaḥ Translation: Steadiness in one’s own position is declared to be actual piety, whereas deviation from one’s position is considered impiety. In this way the two are definitely ascertained. Purport: In the previous verse Lord Kṛṣṇa explained that the path of spiritual progress begins with working without fruitive desires, advances to the stage of realized spiritual knowledge, and culminates in direct engagement in the devotional service of the Lord....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 3 Sanskrit: शुद्ध्यशुद्धी विधीयेते समानेष्वपि वस्तुषु ।द्रव्यस्य विचिकित्सार्थं गुणदोषौ शुभाशुभौ ।धर्मार्थं व्यवहारार्थं यात्रार्थमिति चानघ ॥ ३ ॥ ITRANS: śuddhy-aśuddhī vidhīyetesamāneṣv api vastuṣudravyasya vicikitsārthaṁguṇa-doṣau śubhāśubhaudharmārthaṁ vyavahārārthaṁyātrārtham iti cānagha Translation: O sinless Uddhava, in order to understand what is proper in life one must evaluate a given object within its particular category. Thus, in analyzing religious principles one must consider purity and impurity. Similarly, in one’s ordinary dealings one must distinguish between good and bad, and to insure one’s physical survival one must recognize that which is auspicious and inauspicious....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 4 Sanskrit: दर्शितोऽयं मयाचारो धर्ममुद्वहतां धुरम् ॥ ४ ॥ ITRANS: darśito ’yaṁ mayācārodharmam udvahatāṁ dhuram Translation: I have revealed this way of life for those bearing the burden of mundane religious principles. Purport: Ordinary religious principles, prescribing innumerable rules, regulations and prohibitions, are undoubtedly a great burden for those bereft of Kṛṣṇa consciousness. In the First Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.1.11) it is stated, bhūrīṇi bhūri-karmāṇi śrotavyāni vibhāgaśaḥ: there are countless religious scriptures in the world prescribing countless religious duties....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 5 Sanskrit: भूम्यम्ब्वग्‍न्यनिलाकाशा भूतानां पञ्चधातव: ।आब्रह्मस्थावरादीनां शारीरा आत्मसंयुता: ॥ ५ ॥ ITRANS: bhūmy-ambv-agny-anilākāśābhūtānāṁ pañca-dhātavaḥā-brahma-sthāvarādīnāṁśārīrā ātma-saṁyutāḥ Translation: Earth, water, fire, air and ether are the five basic elements that constitute the bodies of all conditioned souls, from Lord Brahmā himself down to the nonmoving creatures. These elements all emanate from the one Personality of Godhead. Purport: All material bodies are composed of different proportions of the same five gross elements, which emanate from the one Personality of Godhead and cover the living entities, who are all in the jīva category....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 6 Sanskrit: वेदेन नामरूपाणि विषमाणि समेष्वपि ।धातुषूद्धव कल्प्यन्त एतेषां स्वार्थसिद्धये ॥ ६ ॥ ITRANS: vedena nāma-rūpāṇiviṣamāṇi sameṣv apidhātuṣūddhava kalpyantaeteṣāṁ svārtha-siddhaye Translation: My dear Uddhava, although all material bodies are composed of the same five elements and are thus equal, the Vedic literatures conceive of different names and forms in relation to such bodies so that the living entities may achieve their goal of life....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 7 Sanskrit: देशकालादिभावानां वस्तूनां मम सत्तम ।गुणदोषौ विधीयेते नियमार्थं हि कर्मणाम् ॥ ७ ॥ ITRANS: deśa-kālādi-bhāvānāṁvastūnāṁ mama sattamaguṇa-doṣau vidhīyeteniyamārthaṁ hi karmaṇām Translation: O saintly Uddhava, in order to restrict materialistic activities, I have established that which is proper and improper among all material things, including time, space and all physical objects. Purport: The word niyamārtham (“in order to restrict”) is significant in this verse....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 8 Sanskrit: अकृष्णसारो देशानामब्रह्मण्योऽशुचिर्भवेत् ।कृष्णसारोऽप्यसौवीरकीकटासंस्कृतेरिणम् ॥ ८ ॥ ITRANS: akṛṣṇa-sāro deśānāmabrahmaṇyo ’sucir bhavetkṛṣṇa-sāro ’py asauvīra-kīkaṭāsaṁskṛteriṇam Translation: Among places, those bereft of the spotted antelope, those devoid of devotion to the brāhmaṇas, those possessing spotted antelopes but bereft of respectable men, provinces like Kīkaṭa and places where cleanliness and purificatory rites are neglected, where meat-eaters are prominent or where the earth is barren, are all considered to be contaminated lands....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 9 Sanskrit: कर्मण्यो गुणवान् कालो द्रव्यत: स्वत एव वा ।यतो निवर्तते कर्म स दोषोऽकर्मक: स्मृत: ॥ ९ ॥ ITRANS: karmaṇyo guṇavān kālodravyataḥ svata eva vāyato nivartate karmasa doṣo ’karmakaḥ smṛtaḥ Translation: A specific time is considered pure when it is appropriate, either by its own nature or through achievement of suitable paraphernalia, for the performance of one’s prescribed duty. That time which impedes the performance of one’s duty is considered impure....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 10 Sanskrit: द्रव्यस्य शुद्ध्यशुद्धी च द्रव्येण वचनेन च ।संस्कारेणाथ कालेन महत्वाल्पतयाथवा ॥ १० ॥ ITRANS: dravyasya śuddhy-aśuddhī cadravyeṇa vacanena casaṁskāreṇātha kālenamahatvālpatayātha vā Translation: An object’s purity or impurity is established by application of another object, by words, by rituals, by the effects of time or according to relative magnitude. Purport: Cloth is purified by application of clean water and contaminated by application of urine....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 11 Sanskrit: शक्त्याशक्त्याथ वा बुद्ध्या समृद्ध्या च यदात्मने ।अघं कुर्वन्ति हि यथा देशावस्थानुसारत: ॥ ११ ॥ ITRANS: śaktyāśaktyātha vā buddhyāsamṛddhyā ca yad ātmaneaghaṁ kurvanti hi yathādeśāvasthānusārataḥ Translation: Impure things may or may not impose sinful reactions upon a person, depending on that person’s strength or weakness, intelligence, wealth, location and physical condition. Purport: The Lord has described the purity and impurity of different places, times and material objects....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 12 Sanskrit: धान्यदार्वस्थितन्तूनां रसतैजसचर्मणाम् ।कालवाय्वग्निमृत्तोयै: पार्थिवानां युतायुतै: ॥ १२ ॥ ITRANS: dhānya-dārv-asthi-tantūnāṁrasa-taijasa-carmaṇāmkāla-vāyv-agni-mṛt-toyaiḥpārthivānāṁ yutāyutaiḥ Translation: Various objects such as grains, wooden utensils, things made of bone, thread, liquids, objects derived from fire, skins and earthy objects are all purified by time, by the wind, by fire, by earth and by water, either separately or in combination. Purport: The word kāla, or “time,” is mentioned here, since all purificatory processes take place within time....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 13 Sanskrit: अमेध्यलिप्तं यद् येन गन्धलेपं व्यपोहति ।भजते प्रकृतिं तस्य तच्छौचं तावदिष्यते ॥ १३ ॥ ITRANS: amedhya-liptaṁ yad yenagandha-lepaṁ vyapohatibhajate prakṛtiṁ tasyatac chaucaṁ tāvad iṣyate Translation: A particular purifying agent is considered appropriate when its application removes the bad odor or dirty covering of some contaminated object and makes it resume its original nature. Purport: Furniture, kitchen utensils, clothing and other objects are purified by application of abrasion, alkali, acid, water and so on....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 14 Sanskrit: स्‍नानदानतपोऽवस्थावीर्यसंस्कारकर्मभि: ।मत्स्मृत्या चात्मन: शौचं शुद्ध: कर्माचरेद्‌द्विज: ॥ १४ ॥ ITRANS: snāna-dāna-tapo-’vasthā-vīrya-saṁskāra-karmabhiḥmat-smṛtyā cātmanaḥ śaucaṁśuddhaḥ karmācared dvijaḥ Translation: The self can be cleansed by bathing, charity, austerity, age, personal strength, purificatory rituals, prescribed duties and, above all, by remembrance of Me. The brāhmaṇa and other twice-born men should be duly purified before performing their specific activities. Purport: The word avasthā indicates that when boys and girls are young they are kept pure by youthful innocence and that as they grow up they are kept pure through proper education and engagement....

Srimad-Bhagavatam: Canto 11 - Chapter 1 - Verse 15 Sanskrit: मन्त्रस्य च परिज्ञानं कर्मशुद्धिर्मदर्पणम् ।धर्म: सम्पद्यते षड्‌भिरधर्मस्तु विपर्यय: ॥ १५ ॥ ITRANS: mantrasya ca parijñānaṁkarma-śuddhir mad-arpaṇamdharmaḥ sampadyate ṣaḍbhiradharmas tu viparyayaḥ Translation: A mantra is purified when chanted with proper knowledge, and one’s work is purified when offered to Me. Thus by purification of the place, time, substance, doer, mantras and work, one becomes religious, and by negligence of these six items one is considered irreligious....