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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
6.11.236.11.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.11.24

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śrī Vṛtrāsurasince 6.11.14inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अहं हरे तव पादैकमूल-

दासानुदासो भवितास्मि भूय: ।

मन: स्मरेतासुपतेर्गुणांस्ते

गृणीत वाक् कर्म करोतु काय: ॥ २४ ॥

ahaṁ hare tava pādaika-mūla-

dāsānudāso bhavitāsmi bhūyaḥ

manaḥ smaretāsu-pater guṇāṁs te

gṛṇīta vāk karma karotu kāyaḥ

Translation

O my Lord, O Supreme Personality of Godhead, will I again be able to be a servant of Your eternal servants who find shelter only at Your lotus feet? O Lord of my life, may I again become their servant so that my mind may always think of Your transcendental attributes, my words always glorify those attributes, and my body always engage in the loving service of Your Lordship?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Serve With Body, Mind and Words

  1. 1

    The foundation of devotional life is to become a servant of the servant of the Lord. Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu taught and personally demonstrated this desire to serve Kṛṣṇa’s servants.

  2. 2

    One must accept a spiritual master in the disciplic succession who is a servant of the Lord’s servants. Under his direction, one engages body, mind and words in service.

  3. 3

    The body should carry out service, the mind should think of Kṛṣṇa incessantly, and words should proclaim the Lord’s glories. A life engaged in this loving service is successful.

Key points from the purport
  • Under his direction, one must then engage one’s three properties, namely his body, mind and words.
  • The body should be engaged in physical activity under the order of the master, the mind should think of Kṛṣṇa incessantly, and one’s words should be engaged in preaching the glories of the Lord.
  • If one is thus engaged in the loving service of the Lord, one’s life is successful.

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:

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. ahamI
  2. hareO my Lord
  3. tavaof Your Lordship
  4. pāda-eka-mūlawhose only shelter is the lotus feet
  5. dāsa-anudāsaḥthe servant of Your servant
  6. bhavitāsmishall I become
  7. bhūyaḥagain
  8. manaḥmy mind
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.11

    In this verse: “glorify”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can my body, mind and words work together in loving service?

Practice

Recite this verse’s prayer today, asking to engage your body, mind and words in the Lord’s service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayServe With Body, Mind and WordsThis 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 6.11.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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