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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 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 6 · Chapter 1: The History of the Life of Ajāmila
6.1.26.1.4-5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.1.3

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 6.1.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अधर्मलक्षणा नाना नरकाश्चानुवर्णिता: ।

मन्वन्तरश्च व्याख्यात आद्य: स्वायम्भुवो यत: ॥ ३ ॥

adharma-lakṣaṇā nānā

narakāś cānuvarṇitāḥ

manvantaraś ca vyākhyāta

ādyaḥ svāyambhuvo yataḥ

Translation

You have also described [at the end of the Fifth Canto] the varieties of hellish life that result from impious activities, and you have described [in the Fourth Canto] the first manvantara, which was presided over by Svāyambhuva Manu, the son of Lord Brahmā.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember the Consequences of Impious Activities

  1. 1

    The verse recalls descriptions of varieties of hellish life. These conditions result from impious activities.

  2. 2

    It also recalls the description of the first manvantara. Svāyambhuva Manu presided over that period.

  3. 3

    Svāyambhuva Manu is identified as the son of Lord Brahmā. The verse brings together earlier teachings about consequences and the history of the world.

How it feels

Guilt and mortal terror → Mercy and renewed devotion. The holy name opens a path beyond an apparently hopeless death.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 6: Ajāmila and the Viṣṇudūtas. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The History of the Life of Ajāmila

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Śukadeva Gosvāmī, the speaker of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, has already described creation, subsequent creation and the planetary systems in the Third, Fourth and Fifth Cantos. Now, in this Sixth Canto, which consists of nineteen chapters, he will describe poṣaṇa, or protection by the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. adharma-lakṣaṇāḥsymptomized by impious activities
  2. nānāvarious
  3. narakāḥhells
  4. caalso
  5. anuvarṇitāḥhave been described
  6. manu-antaraḥthe change of Manus [in one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus]
  7. caalso
  8. vyākhyātaḥhas been described
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does remembering that impious activities have consequences affect my choices?

Practice

Before one decision today, pause and consider whether the action could cause harm.

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 todayRemember the Consequences of Impious ActivitiesThis 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 6.1.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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