1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
6.12.166.12.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Vṛtrāsurasince 6.12.7inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

प्राणग्लहोऽयं समर इष्वक्षो वाहनासन: ।

अत्र न ज्ञायतेऽमुष्य जयोऽमुष्य पराजय: ॥ १७ ॥

prāṇa-glaho ’yaṁ samara

iṣv-akṣo vāhanāsanaḥ

atra na jñāyate ’muṣya

jayo ’muṣya parājayaḥ

Translation

O my enemy, consider this battle a gambling match in which our lives are the stakes, the arrows are the dice, and the animals acting as carriers are the game board. No one can understand who will be defeated and who will be victorious. It all depends on providence.

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.

Victory and Defeat Depend on Providence

  1. 1

    The battle is compared to a gambling match in which the fighters’ lives are the stakes.

  2. 2

    The arrows are compared to dice, and the animals carrying the fighters to the game board. The comparison emphasizes the uncertainty of the battle’s outcome.

  3. 3

    Neither fighter can know who will win or lose. Victory and defeat depend on providence.

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 puruṣa (the enjoyer) and prakṛti (the enjoyed) are under the control of the Lord, for it is by His supervision that everything works systematically. Not seeing the hand of the Supreme in every action, a fool considers himself the ruler and controller of everything.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. prāṇa-glahaḥlife is the stake
  2. ayamthis
  3. samaraḥbattle
  4. iṣu-akṣaḥthe arrows are the dice
  5. vāhana-āsanaḥthe carriers such as the horses and elephants are the game board
  6. atrahere (in this gambling match)
  7. nanot
  8. jñāyateis known
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understand”

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

Where am I treating an uncertain outcome as though I could guarantee it?

Practice

Name one uncertain outcome today and acknowledge that victory or defeat is not yours to guarantee.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVictory and Defeat Depend on ProvidenceThis 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 6.12.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories