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Who is speaking?

Every chapter of the Bhāgavatam, coloured by how many narrators deep it goes. Choose one to see its frames and every verse where a new voice begins.

335 chapters

The depth map

1 voice5 voices deep
Canto 1
Canto 2
Canto 3
Canto 4
Canto 5
Canto 6
Canto 7
Canto 8
Canto 9
Canto 10
Canto 11
Canto 12

SB 6.2 · 3 voices deep

Ajāmila Delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas

The frames this chapter sits inside, outermost first. Choose one to read its note and the verse where its voice begins.

At Ajāmila's death the messengers of Viṣṇu and of Yamarāja debate who deserves punishment.

Where this voice begins

“The blessed messengers of Lord Viṣṇu, the Viṣṇudūtas, said: If you are actually servants of Yamarāja, you must explain to us the meaning of religious principles and the symptoms of irreligion.”

In the translation

Voices in this chapter

Each verse whose translation opens by naming its speaker, in order. Repeated openings by the same speaker are grouped.

  1. 6.2.1Śukadeva Gosvāmī
  2. 6.2.2The Viṣṇudūtas· 2 openings
  3. 6.2.20Śukadeva Gosvāmī
  4. 6.2.26Ajāmila· 2 openings

The frames come from where the translation itself says who is speaking (“Śukadeva Gosvāmī said …”). Their exact start and end verses, the episode labels and the setting bands are study aids, not words of the scripture; Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on each verse is always the final word.