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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
6.12.206.12.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Indrasince 6.12.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

खल्विदं महदाश्चर्यं यद् रज:प्रकृतेस्तव ।

वासुदेवे भगवति सत्त्वात्मनि दृढा मति: ॥ २१ ॥

khalv idaṁ mahad āścaryaṁ

yad rajaḥ-prakṛtes tava

vāsudeve bhagavati

sattvātmani dṛḍhā matiḥ

Translation

O Vṛtrāsura, demons are generally conducted by the mode of passion. Therefore, what a great wonder it is that although you are a demon, you have adopted the mentality of a devotee and have fixed your mind on the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva, who is always situated in pure goodness.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Beyond a Demoniac Nature

  1. 1

    Demons are generally influenced by the mode of passion. Yet Vṛtrāsura had adopted the mentality of a devotee.

  2. 2

    Indra could not detect how Vṛtrāsura had become such an exalted devotee. This filled him with wonder.

  3. 3

    Vṛtrāsura fixed his mind without deviation upon the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva. The Supreme Personality of Godhead is always situated in pure goodness.

Key points from the purport
  • King Indra wondered how Vṛtrāsura could have been elevated to the position of an exalted devotee.
  • As for Prahlāda Mahārāja, he was initiated by Nārada Muni, and therefore it was possible for him to become a great devotee, although he was born in a family of demons.
  • Therefore he was struck with wonder that Vṛtrāsura was such an exalted devotee that he could fix his mind without deviation upon the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vāsudeva.

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 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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. khaluindeed
  2. idamthis
  3. mahat āścaryamgreat wonder
  4. yatwhich
  5. rajaḥinfluenced by the mode of passion
  6. prakṛteḥwhose nature
  7. tavaof you
  8. vāsudevein Lord Kṛṣṇa
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.12

    In this verse: “devotee”

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

What would it mean for me to fix my mind more firmly on Lord Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to direct your mind toward the lotus feet of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.12's connections

Live this todayDevotion Beyond a Demoniac NatureThis 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 6.12.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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