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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 6: The Activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva
5.6.15.6.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 5.6.2

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 5.6.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

ऋषिरुवाच

सत्यमुक्तं किन्‍त्विह वा एके न मनसोऽद्धा विश्रम्भमनवस्थानस्य शठकिरात इव सङ्गच्छन्ते ॥ २ ॥

ṛṣir uvāca

satyam uktaṁ kintv iha vā eke na manaso ’ddhā viśrambham anavasthānasya śaṭha-kirāta iva saṅgacchante.

Translation

Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied: My dear King, you have spoken correctly. However, after capturing animals, a cunning hunter does not put faith in them, for they might run away. Similarly, those who are advanced in spiritual life do not put faith in the mind. Indeed, they always remain vigilant and watch the mind’s action.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remain Watchful Over the Mind

  1. 1

    Those advanced in spiritual life do not put faith in the unsteady mind. Like a hunter watching captured animals, they remain vigilant.

  2. 2

    Sacrifice, charity and penance should not be given up, because they purify even great souls.

  3. 3

    Renunciation does not mean giving up chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra. Lord Ṛṣabhadeva set an example of strictly controlling the mind and senses through tapasya.

Key points from the purport
  • Indeed, sacrifice, charity and penance purify even the great souls.”
  • Renunciation does not mean that one has to renounce saṅkīrtana-yajña.
  • Similarly, one should not renounce charity or tapasya.

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 5.6.2 quotesBG 18.5

In Bhagavad-gītā (18.5) Lord Kṛṣṇa says: “Acts of sacrifice, charity and penance are not to be given up but should be performed.

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

Responsibility → Renunciation. Leadership is set beside the renounced ideal.

Chapters 1–6 of Canto 5: Priyavrata and Ṛṣabhadeva. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 6: The Activities of Lord Ṛṣabhadeva

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Because the mind is restless and undependable, it must remain always under control. Even the mind of the advanced yogī Saubhari created such a disturbance that he lost his yogic mystic powers.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 5.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ṛṣiḥ uvācaŚukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. satyamthe correct thing
  3. uktamhave said
  4. kintubut
  5. ihain this material world
  6. vāeither
  7. ekesome
  8. nanot
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 5.6

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 5.6

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 5.6

    In this verse: “purify”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I sometimes treat spiritual progress as a reason to become less watchful?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra attentively.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Live this todayRemain Watchful Over the MindThis 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 5.6.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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