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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 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death
6.12.96.12.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.10

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vṛtrāsurasince 6.12.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा दारुमयी नारी यथा पत्रमयो मृग: ।

एवं भूतानि मघवन्नीशतन्त्राणि विद्धि भो: ॥ १० ॥

yathā dārumayī nārī

yathā patramayo mṛgaḥ

evaṁ bhūtāni maghavann

īśa-tantrāṇi viddhi bhoḥ

Translation

O King Indra, as a wooden doll that looks like a woman or as an animal made of grass and leaves cannot move or dance independently, but depends fully on the person who handles it, all of us dance according to the desire of the supreme controller, the Personality of Godhead. No one is independent.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Alone Is the Supreme Controller

  1. 1

    A wooden doll or an animal made of grass and leaves cannot move independently. Similarly, all living beings depend on the supreme controller.

  2. 2

    Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants. Ignorance and illusion make us think we are independent of His will.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa, known as Govinda, has an eternal, blissful, spiritual body. He is the origin of all and the cause of all causes.

Key points from the purport
  • They dance as He makes them do so.”
  • We are all servants of Kṛṣṇa; we have no independence.
  • We are dancing according to the desire of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but out of ignorance and illusion we think we are independent of the supreme will.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 6.12.10 quotesCC Ādi 5.142

This is confirmed in Caitanya-caritāmṛta (Ādi 5.142): “Lord Kṛṣṇa alone is the supreme controller, and all others are His servants.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 12: Vṛtrāsura’s Glorious Death

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead,” he said, “is the cause of victory and defeat. Not knowing that the Supreme Lord is the cause of all causes, fools and rascals try to take credit for victory or defeat themselves, but everything is actually under the control of the Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yathājust as
  2. dāru-mayīmade of wood
  3. nārīa woman
  4. yathājust as
  5. patra-mayaḥmade of leaves
  6. mṛgaḥan animal
  7. evamthus
  8. bhūtāniall things
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “king”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “illusion”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would remembering that I am Kṛṣṇa’s servant change my attitude today?

Practice

Before one act of devotional service, quietly remember: “Kṛṣṇa is the supreme controller, and I am His servant.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Alone Is the Supreme ControllerThis 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 6.12.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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