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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 2 · The Cosmic Manifestation · 10 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 2 · Chapter 6: Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed
2.6.43-452.7.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 2.6.46

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Brahmāsince 2.6.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitLord Brahmā → Nārada Muni

प्राधान्यतो यानृष आमनन्ति

लीलावतारान् पुरुषस्य भूम्न: ।

आपीयतां कर्णकषायशोषा-

ननुक्रमिष्ये त इमान् सुपेशान् ॥ ४६ ॥

prādhānyato yān ṛṣa āmananti

līlāvatārān puruṣasya bhūmnaḥ

āpīyatāṁ karṇa-kaṣāya-śoṣān

anukramiṣye ta imān supeśān

Translation

O Nārada, now I shall state, one after another, the transcendental incarnations of the Lord known as līlā-avatāras. Hearing of their activities counteracts all foul matters accumulated in the ear. These pastimes are pleasing to hear and are to be relished. Therefore they are in my heart.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hearing the Lord’s Pastimes Cleanses the Heart

  1. 1

    Ordinary news and talks do not fully satisfy the heart because their messages do not meet the soul’s deepest need. Hearing the transcendental activities of the Lord brings true satisfaction.

  2. 2

    The Lord’s activities include material creation and His pastimes in innumerable incarnations. Devotees take greater interest in His transcendental pastimes than in theories about material creation.

  3. 3

    Hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clears the heart of accumulated material impurity. As interest in the Lord’s pleasing activities grows, interest in impure literature fades.

Key points from the purport
  • As it was said in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.8), one cannot be fully satisfied by hearing unless and until one is given a chance to hear of the transcendental activities of the Lord.
  • Therefore they take more interest in the transcendental activities of the Lord as He incarnates Himself on the surface of the material world.
  • Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the history of such activities of the Lord, and people who take interest in hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam clear their hearts of accumulated mundane filth.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 2.6.46 quotesSB 1.5.8

As it was said in the beginning of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (1.5.8), one cannot be fully satisfied by hearing unless and until one is given a chance to hear of the transcendental activities of the Lord.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Uncertainty → Awe. The scale of reality widens dramatically.

Chapters 4–7 of Canto 2: The creation, cosmic Person and incarnations. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 6: Puruṣa-sūkta Confirmed

Brahmā describes the universal form, his sacrifice, and the Lord’s control over creation, maintenance, and destruction.

Back to this verse in chapter 2.6
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prādhānyataḥchiefly
  2. yānall those
  3. ṛṣeO Nārada
  4. āmanantiworship
  5. līlāpastimes
  6. avatārānincarnations
  7. puruṣasyaof the Personality of Godhead
  8. bhūmnaḥthe Supreme
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 2.6

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 2.6

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 2.6

    In this verse: “material”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What am I choosing to hear, and does it nourish my interest in the Lord?

Practice

Replace five minutes of ordinary news or talk today with listening to a passage of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam about the Lord’s activities.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

The purport quotesSB 1.5.8

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 2.6's connections

Live this todayHearing the Lord’s Pastimes Cleanses the HeartThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 2.6.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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