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

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Canto 5 · The Creative Impetus · 26 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 5 · Chapter 26: A Description of the Hellish Planets
5.26.55.26.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.26.6

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.26.5inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यत्र ह वाव भगवान् पितृराजो वैवस्वत: स्वविषयं प्रापितेषु स्वपुरुषैर्जन्तुषु सम्परेतेषु यथाकर्मावद्यं दोषमेवानुल्लङ्घितभगवच्छासन: सगणो दमं धारयति ॥ ६ ॥

yatra ha vāva bhagavān pitṛ-rājo vaivasvataḥ sva-viṣayaṁ prāpiteṣu sva-puruṣair jantuṣu sampareteṣu yathā-karmāvadyaṁ doṣam evānullaṅghita-bhagavac-chāsanaḥ sagaṇo damaṁ dhārayati.

Translation

The King of the pitās is Yamarāja, the very powerful son of the sun-god. He resides in Pitṛloka with his personal assistants and, while abiding by the rules and regulations set down by the Supreme Lord, has his agents, the Yamadūtas, bring all the sinful men to him immediately upon their death. After bringing them within his jurisdiction, he properly judges them according to their specific sinful activities and sends them to one of the many hellish planets for suitable punishments.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Divine Judgment Aims at Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

  1. 1

    Yamarāja is not a fictitious character; he rules in Pitṛloka. Appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he judges sinful activities without overstepping the Lord’s orders.

  2. 2

    One should understand karma, vikarma and akarma—action, forbidden action and inaction—and act accordingly. Sense enjoyment is allowed only under regulative principles.

  3. 3

    Yamarāja’s chastisement is meant to bring conditioned souls back to Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Yet under māyā’s influence, they may continue committing sinful activities instead of returning to devotional service.

Key points from the purport
  • Yamarāja is not a fictitious or mythological character; he has his own abode, Pitṛloka, of which he is king.
  • Yamarāja is appointed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead to see that the human beings do not violate His rules and regulations.
  • Thus in spite of repeated punishment by Yamarāja, they do not come to their senses, but continue to live within the material condition, committing sinful activities again and again.

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 5.26.6 quotesBG 4.17

As confirmed in Bhagavad-gītā (4.17): “The intricacies of action are very hard to understand.

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

Moral dread → Wakefulness. Consequences of action are rendered emotionally vivid.

Chapter 26 of Canto 5: The hellish planets. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 26: A Description of the Hellish Planets

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Thus he engages in different sinful activities, and as a result, he is put into different hellish conditions life after life, to be punished by the laws of nature. The basic principle of his suffering is that he foolishly thinks himself independent, although he is strictly under the control of the laws of material nature.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.26
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatrawhere
  2. ha vāvaindeed
  3. bhagavānthe most powerful
  4. pitṛ-rājaḥYamarāja, the king of the pitās
  5. vaivasvataḥthe son of the sun-god
  6. sva-viṣayamhis own kingdom
  7. prāpiteṣuwhen caused to reach
  8. sva-puruṣaiḥby his own messengers
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “king”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.26

    In this verse: “sinful”

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

Am I learning from the consequences of my actions, or repeating the same mistakes?

Practice

Identify one repeated wrong action and choose today to refrain from it as a step toward Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

Connected stories

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

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 5.26's connections

Live this todayDivine Judgment Aims at Kṛṣṇa ConsciousnessThis 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 5.26.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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