Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.6.9
शुद्धिर्नृणां न तु तथेड्य दुराशयानां
विद्याश्रुताध्ययनदानतप:क्रियाभि: ।
सत्त्वात्मनामृषभ ते यशसि प्रवृद्ध-
सच्छ्रद्धया श्रवणसम्भृतया यथा स्यात् ॥ ९ ॥
śuddhir nṛṇāṁ na tu tatheḍya durāśayānāṁ
[shuddhir nrinaam na tu tathedya duraashayaanaam]
vidyā-śrutādhyayana-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyābhiḥ
[vidyaa-shrutaadhyayana-daana-tapah-kriyaabhih]
sattvātmanām ṛṣabha te yaśasi pravṛddha-
[sattvaatmanaam rishabha te yashasi pravriddha-]
sac-chraddhayā śravaṇa-sambhṛtayā yathā syāt
[sach-chraddhayaa shravana-sambhritayaa yathaa syaat]
Word-for-word
śuddhiḥ
—
purification
nṛṇām
—
of persons
na
—
is not
tu
—
but
tathā
—
in such a way
īḍya
—
O worshipable one
durāśayānām
—
of those whose consciousness is contaminated
vidyā
—
by ordinary worship
śruta
—
hearing and obeying the injunctions of the Vedas
adhyayana
—
study of various śāstras
dāna
—
charity
tapaḥ
—
austere penances
kriyābhiḥ
—
and ritual activities
sattva-ātmanām
—
of those who are situated in pure goodness
ṛṣabha
—
O greatest of all
te
—
Your
yaśasi
—
in the glories
pravṛddha
—
fully matured
sat
—
transcendental
śraddhayā
—
by faith
śravaṇa-sambhṛtayā
—
which is reinforced by the process of hearing
yathā
—
as
syāt
—
there is.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
śuddhir nṛṇāṁ na tu tatheḍya durāśayānāṁ
śuddhiḥ
purification
nṛṇām
of persons
na
is not
tu
but
tathā
in such a way
vidyā-śrutādhyayana-dāna-tapaḥ-kriyābhiḥ
īḍya
O worshipable one
durāśayānām
of those whose consciousness is contaminated
vidyā
by ordinary worship
śruta
hearing and obeying the injunctions of the Vedas
adhyayana
study of various śāstras
dāna
charity
tapaḥ
austere penances
kriyābhiḥ
and ritual activities
sattvātmanām ṛṣabha te yaśasi pravṛddha-
sattva-ātmanām
of those who are situated in pure goodness
ṛṣabha
O greatest of all
te
Your
yaśasi
in the glories
pravṛddha
fully matured
sac-chraddhayā śravaṇa-sambhṛtayā yathā syāt
sat
transcendental
śraddhayā
by faith
śravaṇa-sambhṛtayā
which is reinforced by the process of hearing
yathā
as
syāt
there is.
O greatest of all, those whose consciousness is polluted by illusion cannot purify themselves merely by ordinary worship, study of the Vedas, charity, austerity and ritual activities. Our Lord, those pure souls who have developed a powerful transcendental faith in Your glories achieve a purified state of existence that can never be attained by those lacking such faith.
Purport
Even if a pure devotee is lacking the above qualifications, such as Vedic study and austerity, if he has unflinching faith in Lord Kṛṣṇa the Lord will save him because of his devotion. On the other hand, if one becomes falsely proud of one’s material qualifications, including ordinary piety, but does not devote himself to hearing and chanting the glories of Kṛṣṇa, the result will ultimately be nil. The transcendental spirit soul cannot be purified by any amount of material piety, charity or scholarship. Only the transcendental Supreme Lord can purify the transcendental living entity by bestowing His mercy within the heart. The demigods were astonished at their good fortune. Even by hearing about Kṛṣṇa, one achieves all perfection, but they had entered the Lord’s own city and were seeing Him standing before them.
— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
O worshipable Lord! Those whose consciousness is polluted by pride cannot purify themselves by knowledge, study of the Vedas, charity, austerity or ritual activities. O best among the avatāra with pure bodies! Pure souls who have developed a deep, excellent faith in your glories, nourished by hearing scripture, become completely purified.
Just as everyone should worship your lotus feet, they should also hear and remember your glories. O worshipable Lord! Purification does not take place by knowledge and other processes because their hearts are generally contaminated by pride in those processes. O best among the avatāras with śuddha-sattva bodies! Purification will take place by abundant, superior faith in hearing remembering and glorifying your fame. That faith is nourished by hearing scripture.
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
Vedic study, charity, austerity, and ritual cannot purify a heart polluted by illusion; only transcendental faith born of hearing Kṛṣṇa's glories purifies.
Practical Applications
- Begin today by hearing or reading about Kṛṣṇa's glories before turning to any other study or duty.
- Notice when you lean on your scholarship, charity, or piety as proof of advancement, and consciously redirect that pride into śravaṇa of His name.
- Refuse to evaluate a fellow devotee by external qualifications, and instead look for the faith that has come through hearing.
Reflection Questions
- Which of my outward religious qualifications am I secretly counting on to purify me, instead of unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa?
- Where in my day is hearing about Kṛṣṇa's glories actually shaping my consciousness, and where has it been crowded out by mere activity?
For Each Age Group
youth
- Before opening social media in the morning, hear one verse or kīrtana about Kṛṣṇa so your day's first input is His glory, not the feed.
- Notice when you measure yourself by grades, internships, or follower counts, and remind yourself that these cannot purify the soul that hears about Kṛṣṇa even once with faith.
- Choose at least one friend with whom you regularly hear and speak about Kṛṣṇa, so your faith is being built through association and not only through private study.
householder
- Anchor the family's week around a fixed time of hearing Bhāgavatam together, treating it as more essential than the children's extra tuitions or your professional reading.
- When you give in charity or perform austerities for the family's welfare, explicitly offer them to Kṛṣṇa and tie them to a moment of hearing His name, so they do not become quiet sources of pride.
- Refuse to evaluate your spiritual life by income donated or fasts kept, and instead ask whether your faith in Kṛṣṇa has deepened through this year's hearing.
senior
- Make hearing about Kṛṣṇa — through readings, recordings, or visiting devotees — the central activity of your remaining years, above even the religious works you have long performed.
- When you mentor younger devotees, point them away from a résumé of austerities and toward the steady cultivation of faith through śravaṇa.
- Loosen attachment to the legacy of your past piety and charity, and stake your final shelter on unflinching faith in Kṛṣṇa's glories alone.
Common Pitfalls
- Treating this verse as a license to neglect study, charity, or austerity, when the verse only denies their power to purify without faith.
- Mistaking sentimental emotion stirred by a kīrtana for the powerful sac-chraddhā the verse describes, which is built through steady hearing.
- Concluding that faith is private and self-generated, when the verse roots it in śravaṇa-sambhṛtā — faith nourished by hearing from realized sources.
Discussion Prompts
- Share one religious activity you have invested heavily in, and honestly examine whether it has produced faith in Kṛṣṇa or only self-satisfaction.
- Where in our community do we still rank devotees by Vedic learning, donations, or austerities, and how does this verse challenge that ranking?
- What does it mean, concretely, that faith is built by hearing — and how do we account for friends who hear constantly yet seem unchanged?
Role Play
Two students prepare for a class. One has memorized many ślokas, fasts strictly, and donates regularly but rarely attends kīrtana or hears Bhāgavatam. The other has none of these qualifications but hears about Kṛṣṇa daily with eagerness. They are asked who is more advanced; let them argue both sides until the second can articulate, from this verse, why faith born of hearing outranks external piety without falsely belittling the first.
Objections & Responses
- If charity, study, and austerity cannot purify, why does the tradition prescribe them at all? This sounds like cheap grace.
The verse does not abolish those practices; it denies that they purify on their own when the heart is durāśaya, polluted by illusion. Performed as offerings to Kṛṣṇa and joined to hearing His glories, they become limbs of bhakti. Without that connection they leave the soul untouched, however impressive they look. - Faith sounds like a feeling. I want something I can measure — texts mastered, hours fasted, rupees given.
Sac-chraddhā is not a passing feeling but a settled conviction that Kṛṣṇa alone is shelter, formed by steady śravaṇa from those who know Him. Its measure is whether your taste for hearing about Him is growing and your dependence on your own qualifications is shrinking — a far more honest gauge than a ledger of works.
My note
Source: vedabase.io