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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura
6.11.146.11.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.15

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

यो नोऽग्रजस्यात्मविदो द्विजाते-

र्गुरोरपापस्य च दीक्षितस्य ।

विश्रभ्य खड्‍गेन शिरांस्यवृश्चत्

पशोरिवाकरुण: स्वर्गकाम: ॥ १५ ॥

yo no ’grajasyātma-vido dvijāter

guror apāpasya ca dīkṣitasya

viśrabhya khaḍgena śirāṁsy avṛścat

paśor ivākaruṇaḥ svarga-kāmaḥ

Translation

Only for the sake of living in the heavenly planets, you killed my elder brother — a self-realized, sinless, qualified brāhmaṇa who had been appointed your chief priest. He was your spiritual master, but although you entrusted him with the performance of your sacrifice, you later mercilessly severed his heads from his body the way one butchers an animal.

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.

Heavenly Ambition Does Not Excuse Cruelty

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura described his elder brother as a self-realized, sinless and qualified brāhmaṇa.

  2. 2

    Indra had appointed him chief priest and entrusted him with performing his sacrifice. He was also Indra’s spiritual master.

  3. 3

    Vṛtrāsura condemned Indra for mercilessly killing this trusted spiritual master merely for the sake of living in the heavenly planets.

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. yaḥhe who
  2. naḥour
  3. agra-jasyaof the elder brother
  4. ātma-vidaḥwho was fully self-realized
  5. dvi-jāteḥa qualified brāhmaṇa
  6. guroḥyour spiritual master
  7. apāpasyafree from all sinful activities
  8. caalso
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

Could my desire for personal gain weaken my respect for someone I should honor?

Practice

Review one ambition today and check whether pursuing it would betray someone’s trust.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHeavenly Ambition Does Not Excuse CrueltyThis 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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