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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 ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura
6.11.136.11.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.14

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Vṛtrāsurasince 6.11.14inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीवृत्र उवाच

दिष्ट्या भवान् मे समवस्थितो रिपु-

र्यो ब्रह्महा गुरुहा भ्रातृहा च ।

दिष्ट्यानृणोऽद्याहमसत्तम त्वया

मच्छूलनिर्भिन्नद‍ृषद्‌धृदाचिरात् ॥ १४ ॥

śrī-vṛtra uvāca

diṣṭyā bhavān me samavasthito ripur

yo brahma-hā guru-hā bhrātṛ-hā ca

diṣṭyānṛṇo ’dyāham asattama tvayā

mac-chūla-nirbhinna-dṛṣad-dhṛdācirāt

Translation

Śrī Vṛtrāsura said: He who has killed a brāhmaṇa, he who has killed his spiritual master — indeed, he who has killed my brother — is now, by good fortune, standing before me face to face as my enemy. O most abominable one, when I pierce your stonelike heart with my trident, I shall be freed from my debt to my brother.

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.

Vṛtrāsura Confronts His Brother’s Killer

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura accused Indra of killing a brāhmaṇa who was also Indra’s spiritual master and Vṛtrāsura’s brother.

  2. 2

    He considered it good fortune that Indra now stood before him face to face as his enemy.

  3. 3

    Describing Indra’s heart as stonelike, Vṛtrāsura declared that piercing it with his trident would free him from his debt to his brother.

How it feels

Danger → Fearless longing. A seeming enemy reveals the heart of a great devotee.

Chapters 11–13 of Canto 6: Vṛtrāsura's prayers and final battle. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

King Indra had first accepted Viśvarūpa as his priest and thereafter killed him. Reminding Indra of his heinous activities, Vṛtrāsura said, “If one is a devotee of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu, and depends on Lord Viṣṇu in every respect, then victory, opulence and peace of mind are all inevitably available.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-vṛtraḥ uvācathe great hero Vṛtrāsura said
  2. diṣṭyāby good fortune
  3. bhavānYour Lordship
  4. meof me
  5. samavasthitaḥsituated (in front)
  6. ripuḥmy enemy
  7. yaḥwho
  8. brahma-hāthe killer of a brāhmaṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Vṛtrāsura’s accusation reveal about the seriousness of harming a spiritual master?

Practice

Take a moment today to acknowledge a debt of gratitude to someone who has taught you.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVṛtrāsura Confronts His Brother’s KillerThis 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.

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