SB 11.18.48

SB 11.18.48

Devanagari

एतत्तेऽभिहितं साधो भवान् पृच्छति यच्च माम् । यथा स्वधर्मसंयुक्तो भक्तो मां समियात् परम् ॥ ४८ ॥

Verse text

etat te ’bhihitaṁ sādho bhavān pṛcchati yac ca mām yathā sva-dharma-saṁyukto bhakto māṁ samiyāt param

Synonyms

etat this ; te unto you ; abhihitam described ; sādho O saintly Uddhava ; bhavān you ; pṛcchati have asked ; yat which ; ca and ; mām from Me ; yathā the means by which ; sva dharma — in one’s prescribed duty ; saṁyuktaḥ perfectly engaged ; bhaktaḥ being a devotee ; mām to Me ; samiyāt one may come ; param the Supreme .

Translation

My dear saintly Uddhava, I have now described to you, just as you inquired, the means by which My devotee, perfectly engaged in his prescribed duty, can come back to Me, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)

O saintly Uddhava! I have now described to you, just as you inquired, the means by which my devotee, perfectly engaged in his prescribed duty, can attain me. Thus ends the commentary on the Eighteenth Chapter of the Eleventh Canto of the Bhāgavatam for the pleasure of the devotees, in accordance with the previous ācāryas. Chapter Nineteen Jṣāna and Bhakti 11.19: The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge 19. The Perfection of Spiritual Knowledge 11.19 Summary This chapter describes how those who practice speculative knowledge eventually give up their method, whereas the pure devotees remain engaged in devotional service eternally. Also described are the different practices of the yogīs, beginning with yama. The Supreme Lord, Śrī Kṛṣṇa, stated to Uddhava, "One who is actually wise, who knows the truth of the self and possesses transcendental insight, rejects this world of dualities and the so-called knowledge meant for facilitating enjoyment of it. He instead engages himself in trying to satisfy the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of all. This is pure bhakti-yoga. Transcendental knowledge is greater than such ordinary pious activities as chanting of mantras, but pure devotional service is greater than even knowledge." After this, Lord Kṛṣṇa, requested by Śrī Uddhava to describe in full detail pure transcendental knowledge and devotional service, related the same instructions that the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, Bhīṣmadeva, gave on these topics to Śrī Yudhiṣṭhira on the occasion of the battle at Kurukṣetra. Following this, after being asked about yama and the other practices of yoga, the Lord enumerated the twelve kinds of yama beginning with nonviolence, and the twelve kinds of niyama, beginning with bodily cleanliness.

Purport

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Eleventh Canto, Eighteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Description of Varṇāśrama-dharma.”