Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.8.40
సన్తుష్టా శ్రద్దధత్యేతద్యథాలాభేన జీవతీ ।
విహరామ్యమునైవాహమాత్మనా రమణేన వై ॥ ౪౦ ॥
santuṣṭā śraddadhaty etad
[santushtaa shraddadhaty etad]
yathā-lābhena jīvatī
[yathaa-laabhena jeevatee]
viharāmy amunaivāham
[viharaamy amunaivaaham]
ātmanā ramaṇena vai
[aatmanaa ramanena vai]
Word-for-word
santuṣṭā
—
completely satisfied
śraddadhatī
—
now having complete faith
etat
—
in the Lord’s mercy
yathā-lābhena
—
with whatever comes of its own accord
jīvatī
—
living
viharāmi
—
I will enjoy life
amunā
—
with that one
eva
—
only
aham
—
I
ātmanā
—
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
ramaṇena
—
who is the real source of love and happiness
vai
—
there is no doubt about it.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
santuṣṭā śraddadhaty etad
santuṣṭā
completely satisfied
śraddadhatī
now having complete faith
etat
in the Lord’s mercy
yathā-lābhena jīvatī
yathā-lābhena
with whatever comes of its own accord
jīvatī
living
viharāmy amunaivāham
viharāmi
I will enjoy life
amunā
with that one
eva
only
aham
I
ātmanā ramaṇena vai
ātmanā
with the Supreme Personality of Godhead
ramaṇena
who is the real source of love and happiness
vai
there is no doubt about it.
I am now completely satisfied, and I have full faith in the Lord’s mercy. Therefore I will maintain myself with whatever comes of its own accord. I shall enjoy life with only the Lord, because He is the real source of love and happiness.
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura
Gauḍīya
Translation
Satisfied, having faith in the Lord and maintaining myself with whatever comes of its own accord, I shall enjoy life with only the Lord, because he is the real source of love and happiness.
What does she desire to do after surrendering? That is explained. What does she has faith in? She has faith that she will enjoy with the Lord.
Personal Guidance
Be satisfied with whatever comes of its own accord, trust Kṛṣṇa's mercy, and find real love and happiness in Him alone.
Practical Applications
- Today, refuse one impulse to acquire or arrange more than what arrives on its own — eat, spend, or accept only yathā-lābha.
- Each time anxiety about provision rises, audibly remind yourself that Kṛṣṇa is the source, and turn that worry into a moment of remembrance.
- Spend at least ten minutes alone with Kṛṣṇa today — japa, reading, or quiet prayer — and let Him, not company or entertainment, be your enjoyment.
Reflection Questions
- Where in my life am I still arranging and scheming for more, secretly disbelieving that what comes of its own accord is enough?
- When I am alone with Kṛṣṇa, do I actually taste Him as ramaṇa — the real lover and source of happiness — or do I reach for substitutes?
For Each Age Group
youth
- This week, unfollow or mute three accounts that fuel comparison about what classmates or peers are acquiring, and notice how much of your striving was downstream of that feed.
- When a friend group plans yet another outing you cannot really afford, practice naming yathā-lābha out loud to yourself and choose contentment over keeping up.
- Pick one evening alone, without phone or scrolling, and treat it as time with Kṛṣṇa — japa, reading, or prayer — to learn the taste of Him as ramaṇa before you are older.
householder
- Sit with your spouse and identify one ongoing financial or lifestyle upgrade you have been chasing, and honestly ask whether it is need or restlessness; agree together to let it go for now.
- When tempted to load expectations of happiness onto your spouse or children, silently remember that Kṛṣṇa is the real ramaṇa, and let your family love be lighter and less demanding.
- Model yathā-lābha for your children by visibly receiving what comes — meals, gifts, setbacks — with audible gratitude to Kṛṣṇa rather than comparison or complaint.
senior
- Take inventory of possessions, savings, and arrangements that you have been holding 'in case,' and begin giving away or simplifying what exceeds yathā-lābha for this stage of life.
- When the body's diminishments and the loss of companions sharpen loneliness, deliberately turn that ache toward Kṛṣṇa as ramaṇa, rather than toward television, news, or grievance.
- In mentoring younger devotees and family members, speak frankly about how little of what you chased actually delivered, and witness to Kṛṣṇa as the only source of love and happiness that did not fade.
Common Pitfalls
- Mistaking passive laziness or fatalism for yathā-lābha satisfaction, and using the verse to excuse neglect of duty.
- Performing outward contentment while inwardly resenting what has come and envying what others have received.
- Treating Kṛṣṇa as a backup source of comfort when relationships fail, rather than as the primary ramaṇa from the start.
Discussion Prompts
- Share one area where 'whatever comes of its own accord' would genuinely feel like deprivation to you — and examine why.
- Is it possible to be satisfied with yathā-lābha in a modern economy that demands constant striving, or does this verse require withdrawal? Disagree honestly.
- What is the difference between needing Kṛṣṇa because no human love is available and choosing Kṛṣṇa as ramaṇa even when human company is plentiful?
Role Play
Two students pair up. One plays a friend who has just received a major promotion and is urging the other to chase a similar opportunity; the other plays a practitioner trying to articulate, without sounding pious or evasive, why they are choosing to remain with what has come of its own accord and to keep Kṛṣṇa as the center of their enjoyment.
Objections & Responses
- Being satisfied with whatever comes is a recipe for poverty and exploitation — the world will simply take advantage of someone who refuses to fight for more.
The verse is not a prohibition on responsible action within one's sva-dharma; it is a prohibition on the inner grasping that turns every gain into a new hunger. A householder still works, earns, and protects dependents, but the heart rests in Kṛṣṇa's arrangement rather than in the scheming mind. Exploitation is resisted from a place of steadiness, not from a place of fear. - Saying Kṛṣṇa is the real source of love sounds like a way to avoid the hard work of human relationships and intimacy.
Gauḍīya teaching does not abolish human relationships; it reorders them. When Kṛṣṇa is ramaṇa at the center, one's love for spouse, children, and friends becomes steadier and less demanding, because it is no longer compensating for an absence the soul is trying to fill. The verse asks us to stop placing on others the burden of being our ultimate source of happiness — which is the very weight that breaks most human bonds.
My note
Source: vedabase.io