Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 12.6.54-56
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesVedic Knowledge Continues Through Successive Teachers
“After dividing his saṁhitā into two parts, the wise Paila spoke it to Indrapramiti and Bāṣkala. Bāṣkala further divided his collection into four parts, O Bhārgava, and instructed them to his disciples Bodhya, Yājñavalkya, Parāśara and Agnimitra. Indrapramiti, the self-controlled sage, taught his saṁhitā to the learned mystic Māṇḍūkeya, whose disciple Devamitra later passed down the divisions of the Ṛg Veda to Saubhari and others.”
What the purport teaches
- Paila divided his saṁhitā into two parts and taught them to Indrapramiti and Bāṣkala. Bāṣkala divided his collection into four and taught Bodhya, Yājñavalkya, Parāśara and Agnimitra.
- The self-controlled Indrapramiti taught the learned mystic Māṇḍūkeya. According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, Māṇḍūkeya was Indrapramiti’s son and received Vedic knowledge from him.
- Māṇḍūkeya’s disciple Devamitra later passed down the divisions of the Ṛg Veda to Saubhari and others.
Try this today
Put aside one distraction during your study today, remembering Indrapramiti’s self-control.
Ask yourself
How might self-control help me receive and remember spiritual teachings?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.