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

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.12.22

Who is speaking and story frame

यस्य भक्तिर्भगवति हरौ नि:श्रेयसेश्वरे ।

विक्रीडतोऽमृताम्भोधौ किं क्षुद्रै: खातकोदकै: ॥ २२ ॥

yasya bhaktir bhagavati

harau niḥśreyaseśvare

vikrīḍato ’mṛtāmbhodhau

kiṁ kṣudraiḥ khātakodakaiḥ

Translation

A person fixed in the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, Hari, the Lord of the highest auspiciousness, swims in the ocean of nectar. For him what is the use of the water in small ditches?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Happiness Is an Ocean

  1. 1

    A person fixed in devotional service to Lord Hari swims in an ocean of nectar. Material happiness is only like water in a small ditch.

  2. 2

    A pure devotee is not attracted to any exalted position within the material world. The devotee simply wants to return home, back to Godhead.

  3. 3

    A devotee of Kṛṣṇa desires to return to Goloka Vṛndāvana and associate with Him in His eternal pastimes. This association, rather than material facilities, is the devotee’s highest ambition.

Key points from the purport
  • A pure devotee is never attracted to any exalted position within this material world.
  • Devotees of Lord Viṣṇu may aspire for a position in Vaikuṇṭhaloka, but a devotee of Kṛṣṇa never aspires even for the facilities of Vaikuṇṭha; he wants to return to Goloka Vṛndāvana and associate with Lord Kṛṣṇa in His eternal pastimes.
  • Any material happiness is like water in a ditch, whereas the spiritual happiness eternally enjoyed in the spiritual world is like an ocean of nectar in which a devotee wants to swim.

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 6.12.22 quotesSB 6.11.25

Vṛtrāsura has formerly prayed, na nāka-pṛṣṭhaṁ na ca pārameṣṭhyaṁ na sārva-bhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam. “I do not want the facilities for happiness on Brahmaloka, Svargaloka or even Dhruvaloka, not to speak of this earth or the lower planets.

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:

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. yasyaof whom
  2. bhaktiḥdevotional service
  3. bhagavatito the Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. harauLord Hari
  5. niḥśreyasa-īśvarethe controller of the supreme perfection of life, or supreme liberation
  6. vikrīḍataḥswimming or playing
  7. amṛta-ambhodhauin the ocean of nectar
  8. kimwhat is the use
  9. kṣudraiḥwith small
  10. khātaka-udakaiḥditches of water
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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotee”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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

Am I more attracted to material facilities or to association with Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Offer a short prayer today expressing your desire for devotional service and association with Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

Live this todayDevotional Happiness Is an OceanThis 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 6.12.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.