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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 11: The Transcendental Qualities of Vṛtrāsura
6.11.156.11.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.16

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

श्रीह्रीदयाकीर्तिभिरुज्झितं त्वां

स्वकर्मणा पुरुषादैश्च गर्ह्यम् ।

कृच्छ्रेण मच्छूलविभिन्नदेह-

मस्पृष्टवह्निं समदन्ति गृध्रा: ॥ १६ ॥

śrī-hrī-dayā-kīrtibhir ujjhitaṁ tvāṁ

sva-karmaṇā puruṣādaiś ca garhyam

kṛcchreṇa mac-chūla-vibhinna-deham

aspṛṣṭa-vahniṁ samadanti gṛdhrāḥ

Translation

Indra, you are bereft of all shame, mercy, glory and good fortune. Deprived of these good qualities by the reactions of your fruitive activities, you are to be condemned even by the man-eaters [Rākṣasas]. Now I shall pierce your body with my trident, and after you die with great pain, even fire will not touch you; only the vultures will eat your body.

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.

Wrongdoing Strips Away Good Qualities

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura said that the reactions of Indra’s fruitive activities had deprived him of shame, mercy, glory and good fortune.

  2. 2

    He declared that Indra’s conduct deserved condemnation even from the man-eating Rākṣasas.

  3. 3

    Vṛtrāsura threatened to pierce Indra with his trident, saying that only vultures, not fire, would receive his body.

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:

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. Such a person has nothing for which to aspire in the three worlds.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrīopulence or beauty
  2. hrīshame
  3. dayāmercy
  4. kīrtibhiḥand glory
  5. ujjhitambereft of
  6. tvāmyou
  7. sva-karmaṇāby your own activities
  8. puruṣa-adaiḥby the Rākṣasas (man-eaters)
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “mercy”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Are my actions strengthening mercy and a healthy sense of shame, or weakening them?

Practice

Choose one opportunity today to act mercifully rather than harshly.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWrongdoing Strips Away Good QualitiesThis 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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