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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
6.12.136.12.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.14

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vṛtrāsurasince 6.12.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्मादकीर्तियशसोर्जयापजययोरपि ।

सम: स्यात्सुखदु:खाभ्यां मृत्युजीवितयोस्तथा ॥ १४ ॥

tasmād akīrti-yaśasor

jayāpajayayor api

samaḥ syāt sukha-duḥkhābhyāṁ

mṛtyu-jīvitayos tathā

Translation

Since everything is dependent on the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead, one should be equipoised in fame and defamation, victory and defeat, life and death. In their effects, represented as happiness and distress, one should maintain oneself in equilibrium, without anxiety.

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.

Remain Steady Through Life’s Opposites

  1. 1

    Everything depends on the supreme will of the Personality of Godhead. This understanding is the basis for remaining balanced.

  2. 2

    One should remain steady in fame and defamation, victory and defeat, and life and death.

  3. 3

    These changing conditions bring happiness and distress. One should maintain inner balance without anxiety.

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:

When one understands, however, that the real controller is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he is freed from the relativities of the world, such as distress, happiness, fear and impurity.” Thus Indra and Vṛtrāsura not only fought, but also engaged in philosophical discourses.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore (because of being fully dependent on the pleasure of the Supreme Personality of Godhead)
  2. akīrtiof defamation
  3. yaśasoḥand fame
  4. jayaof victory
  5. apajayayoḥand defeat
  6. apieven
  7. samaḥequal
  8. syātone should be
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “death”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “understanding”

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

Which affects my balance more strongly: praise and blame, or success and failure?

Practice

When one pleasant or unpleasant event occurs today, pause and remember the Supreme Lord’s will before responding.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemain Steady Through Life’s OppositesThis 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 6.12.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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