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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
6.11.176.11.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.18

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Vṛtrāsurasince 6.11.14inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अथो हरे मे कुलिशेन वीर

हर्ता प्रमथ्यैव शिरो यदीह ।

तत्रानृणो भूतबलिं विधाय

मनस्विनां पादरज: प्रपत्स्ये ॥ १८ ॥

atho hare me kuliśena vīra

hartā pramathyaiva śiro yadīha

tatrānṛṇo bhūta-baliṁ vidhāya

manasvināṁ pāda-rajaḥ prapatsye

Translation

But if in this battle you cut off my head with your thunderbolt and kill my soldiers, O Indra, O great hero, I shall take great pleasure in offering my body to other living entities [such as jackals and vultures]. I shall thus be relieved of my obligations to the reactions of my karma, and my fortune will be to receive the dust from the lotus feet of great devotees like Nārada Muni.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Return to Godhead Through Devotees’ Grace

  1. 1

    Vṛtrāsura was prepared for death because he knew that this was Lord Viṣṇu’s desire and that he would return home, back to Godhead.

  2. 2

    A Vaiṣṇava always desires the dust of the lotus feet of previous ācāryas and Vaiṣṇavas. Returning to Godhead is achieved by a Vaiṣṇava’s grace.

  3. 3

    Great devotees such as Nārada Muni always think of Kṛṣṇa and are peaceful. Vṛtrāsura longed to receive the dust of such devotees’ lotus feet.

Key points from the purport
  • A Vaiṣṇava always desires the dust of the lotus feet of previous ācāryas and Vaiṣṇavas.
  • In this verse, therefore, we find the words manasvināṁ pāda-rajaḥ prapatsye: “I shall receive the dust of the lotus feet of great devotees.”
  • If one receives the dust of the lotus feet of a manasvī, a great devotee, he certainly returns home, back to Godhead.

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

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:

Unable to tolerate this, Indra, the King of the demigods, threw his club at Vṛtrāsura, but Vṛtrāsura was such a great hero that he easily caught the club with his left hand and used it to beat Indra’s elephant. Struck by the blow of Vṛtrāsura, the elephant was pushed back fourteen yards and fell, with Indra on its back.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athootherwise
  2. hareO King Indra
  3. meof me
  4. kuliśenaby your thunderbolt
  5. vīraO great hero
  6. hartāyou cut off
  7. pramathyadestroying my army
  8. evacertainly
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “devotees”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “death”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “grace”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I value the favor of devotees as essential to my spiritual progress?

Practice

Offer one small act of service to a devotee today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayReturn to Godhead Through Devotees’ GraceThis 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 6.11.18? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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