Srimad Bhagavatam — Ekadasha Skandha, Shloka 3

The Disappearance of the Yadu Dynasty and Lord Kṛṣṇa’s Departure

Devanagari script

प्रत्याक्रष्टुं नयनमबला यत्र लग्नं न शेकु: कर्णाविष्टं न सरति ततो यत् सतामात्मलग्नम् । यच्छ्रीर्वाचां जनयति रतिं किं नु मानं कवीनां द‍ृष्ट्वा जिष्णोर्युधि रथगतं यच्च तत्साम्यमीयु: ॥ ३ ॥

Transliteration

pratyākraṣṭuṁ nayanam abalā yatra lagnaṁ na śekuḥ karṇāviṣṭaṁ na sarati tato yat satām ātma-lagnam yac-chrīr vācāṁ janayati ratiṁ kiṁ nu mānaṁ kavīnāṁ dṛṣṭvā jiṣṇor yudhi ratha-gataṁ yac ca tat-sāmyam īyuḥ

Translation

Khi ánh mắt của phụ nữ đã dán chặt vào hình tướng siêu việt của Ngài, họ không thể rút lại; và khi hình tướng ấy đi vào tai các bậc thánh rồi an trú trong tim, nó không bao giờ rời. Vẻ đẹp ấy còn gieo sức hấp dẫn thiêng liêng vào lời thơ của các thi nhân—huống chi danh tiếng của họ! Và tại Kurukṣetra, thấy hình tướng ấy trên chiến xa của Arjuna, nhiều chiến binh đã đạt giải thoát, được thân linh thiêng tương tự như của Chúa.

Synonyms

• pratyākraṣṭum: to pull back
• pratyākraṣṭum: Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Verb
• Root: prati-ā-√kṛṣ (धातु)
• Form: Tumun-anta (infinitive/तुमुन्)

• nayanam: the eye
• nayanam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nayana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• abalāḥ: women
• abalāḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Bahuvacana

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; relative adverb (स्थानवाचक)

• lagnam: fixed/attached
• lagnam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: lagna (कृदन्त from √lag)
• Form: Kta (past participle/क्त), Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; agrees with nayanam

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; niṣedha (negation particle)

• śekuḥ: were able
• śekuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √śak (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect/लिट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana; Parasmaipada

• karṇa-āviṣṭam: (that) which had entered the ear
• karṇa-āviṣṭam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: karṇa (प्रातिपदिक) + āviṣṭa (कृदन्त from ā-√viś)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; ‘entered into the ear’ (object of sarati)

• na: not
• na: Pratiṣedha (प्रतिषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation

• sarati: moves/goes away
• sarati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √sṛ (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present/लट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• tataḥ: therefore/from that
• tataḥ: Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tataḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; ablative-adverb ‘from that/therefore’

• yat: that which
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; relative pronoun referring to the following description

• satām: of the virtuous/saints
• satām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana

• ātma-lagnam: that to which the self is attached
• ātma-lagnam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (प्रातिपदिक) + lagna (कृदन्त from √lag)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (ātmano lagnam)

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• śrīḥ: beauty/splendor (Lakṣmī)
• śrīḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śrī (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana

• vācām: of words/speech
• vācām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāc (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana

• janayati: produces/generates
• janayati: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jan (धातु)
• Form: Laṭ (Present), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Ekavacana; Parasmaipada

• ratim: delight/attachment
• ratim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: rati (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• kim: what (indeed)
• kim: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kim (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; interrogative used rhetorically

• nu: indeed/then
• nu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: nu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphasis/interrogative particle

• mānam: honor/esteem
• mānam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: māna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana

• kavīnām: of poets
• kavīnām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kavi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Bahuvacana

• dṛṣṭvā: having seen
• dṛṣṭvā: Pūrvakāla (पूर्वकाल)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dṛś (धातु)
• Form: Ktva (absolutive/क्त्वा), pūrva-kāla (prior action)

• jiṣṇoḥ: of Jiṣṇu (Arjuna)
• jiṣṇoḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jiṣṇu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Ṣaṣṭhī (6th), Ekavacana; epithet of Arjuna

• yudhi: in battle
• yudhi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yudh (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Strīliṅga, Saptamī (7th), Ekavacana

• ratha-gatam: mounted on the chariot
• ratha-gatam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: ratha (प्रातिपदिक) + gata (कृदन्त from √gam)
• Form: Puṁliṅga, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; viśeṣaṇa of (implicit) ‘tam’ (Kṛṣṇa); ‘gone onto the chariot’

• yat: which
• yat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Prathamā (1st), Ekavacana; relative pronoun

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction

• tat-sāmyam: equality with him
• tat-sāmyam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक) + sāmya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka, Dvitīyā (2nd), Ekavacana; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (tasya sāmyam)

• īyuḥ: attained/went to
• īyuḥ: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √i (धातु)
• Form: Liṭ (Perfect/लिट्), Prathama-puruṣa (3rd), Bahuvacana; Parasmaipada

Purport

Transcendental, liberated personalities such as the gopīs of Vṛndāvana and Rukmiṇī, the original goddess of fortune, were constantly meditating on the Lord’s spiritual body. Great liberated sages ( satām ), having heard about Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, could not take it out of their hearts. The Lord’s bodily beauty expanded the love and poetic output of great liberated poets, and simply by seeing Lord Kṛṣṇa’s body, the warriors at Kurukṣetra achieved spiritual liberation with an eternal body similar to the Lord’s. Therefore it is impossible to imagine Lord Kṛṣṇa’s eternal form of bliss to be in any way material. Those who imagine that Lord Kṛṣṇa gave up His eternal form are certainly bewildered by the Lord’s illusory energy.

Characters & Entities

• Kṛṣṇa
• Jiṣṇu

FAQs

What does Srimad Bhagavatam say about the power of seeing and hearing Krishna?

This verse says that once the eyes become fixed on the Lord’s form and the ears become absorbed in hearing about Him, they do not turn elsewhere—because He is the very Self to whom the saintly attach their hearts.

Why does Śukadeva Gosvāmī describe Krishna as impossible to look away from?

In the narrative of Canto 11, Śukadeva is glorifying the Lord’s incomparable beauty and spiritual potency, showing that Krishna naturally captivates the senses and draws the mind of devotees toward the Supreme.

How can I apply this teaching in modern life according to Bhagavatam 11.30.3?

Practice steady śravaṇa (hearing) and darśana (contemplative viewing) of Krishna—through daily recitation, kīrtana, and reading—so the mind gradually loses taste for distractions and becomes attached to the Lord.