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

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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.10.28

Who is speaking and story frame

सर्वे प्रयासा अभवन् विमोघा:

कृता: कृता देवगणेषु दैत्यै: ।

कृष्णानुकूलेषु यथा महत्सु

क्षुद्रै: प्रयुक्ता ऊषती रूक्षवाच: ॥ २८ ॥

sarve prayāsā abhavan vimoghāḥ

kṛtāḥ kṛtā deva-gaṇeṣu daityaiḥ

kṛṣṇānukūleṣu yathā mahatsu

kṣudraiḥ prayuktā ūṣatī rūkṣa-vācaḥ

Translation

When insignificant persons use rough words to cast false, angry accusations against saintly persons, their fruitless words do not disturb the great personalities. Similarly, all the efforts of the demons against the demigods, who were favorably situated under the protection of Kṛṣṇa, were futile.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Protects His Devotees

  1. 1

    False, angry accusations and rough words do not disturb saintly persons.

  2. 2

    The purport compares such accusations to a vulture cursing a cow to die: the curse is ineffective.

  3. 3

    The demigods were devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa and were under His protection. Therefore the demons’ efforts and curses were futile.

Key points from the purport
  • There is a Bengali saying that if a vulture curses a cow to die, the curse will not be effective.
  • Similarly, accusations made by demoniac persons against devotees of Kṛṣṇa cannot have any effect.
  • The demigods are devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and therefore the curses of the demons were futile.

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

How it feels

Offense and dread → Moral reckoning. Heroic power does not guarantee inner freedom.

Chapters 7–10 of Canto 6: Indra, Bṛhaspati and the emergence of Vṛtrāsura. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 10: The Battle Between the Demigods and Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Vṛtrāsura, however, seeing the demons fleeing, instructed them in the importance of fighting and dying in the battlefield. One who is victorious in battle gains material possessions, and one who dies in the battlefield attains a residence at once in the celestial heavens.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.10
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sarveall
  2. prayāsāḥendeavors
  3. abhavanwere
  4. vimoghāḥfutile
  5. kṛtāḥperformed
  6. kṛtāḥagain performed
  7. deva-gaṇeṣuunto the demigods
  8. daityaiḥby the demons
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “favorably”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “protection”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.10

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

How can the steadiness of saintly persons guide my response to harsh words?

Practice

If you hear harsh words today, pause before responding and remember the steadiness of Kṛṣṇa’s devotees.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Protects His DevoteesThis 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 6.10.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.