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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 13: King Indra Afflicted by Sinful Reaction
6.13.8-96.13.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.13.10

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.13.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

एवं सञ्चोदितो विप्रैर्मरुत्वानहनद्रिपुम् ।

ब्रह्महत्या हते तस्मिन्नाससाद वृषाकपिम् ॥ १० ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

evaṁ sañcodito viprair

marutvān ahanad ripum

brahma-hatyā hate tasminn

āsasāda vṛṣākapim

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: Encouraged by the words of the sages, Indra killed Vṛtrāsura, and when he was killed the sinful reaction for killing a brāhmaṇa [brahma-hatyā] certainly took shelter of Indra.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Planned Atonement Cannot Excuse Deliberate Sin

  1. 1

    Encouraged by the sages, Indra killed Vṛtrāsura. The reaction for killing a brāhmaṇa immediately took shelter of him.

  2. 2

    Indra had previously killed Viśvarūpa out of circumstantial anger, but this killing was deliberate. Therefore, his sinful reaction was greater than before.

  3. 3

    Indra could not gain relief simply through sacrifices; he first had to undergo severe suffering. Planning sinful deeds while relying on chanting or atonement cannot give anyone relief.

Key points from the purport
  • After killing Vṛtrāsura, Indra could not surpass the brahma-hatyā, the sinful reactions for killing a brāhmaṇa.
  • Therefore the sinful reaction was greater than before.
  • Nahuṣa was officiating for Indra while Indra, absent from heaven, was going here and there to gain release from his sinful reactions.

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 13: King Indra Afflicted by Sinful Reaction

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Indra could understand that he was certainly entangled by sinful reactions for killing a brāhmaṇa. Indeed, he could see sinful reaction personified following him, and thus he fled here and there in fear, thinking of how to rid himself of his sins.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. evamthus
  3. sañcoditaḥbeing encouraged
  4. vipraiḥby the brāhmaṇas
  5. marutvānIndra
  6. ahanatkilled
  7. ripumhis enemy, Vṛtrāsura
  8. brahma-hatyāthe sinful reaction for killing a brāhmaṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 6.13

    In this verse: “shelter”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.13

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.13

    In this verse: “chanting”

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

Do I ever justify a wrong action by promising to make amends afterward?

Practice

Identify one excuse you use for knowingly doing wrong, and choose not to act on it today.

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.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.13's connections

Live this todayPlanned Atonement Cannot Excuse Deliberate SinThis 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 6.13.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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