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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 13: King Indra Afflicted by Sinful Reaction
6.13.116.13.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 6.13.12-13

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

तां ददर्शानुधावन्तीं चाण्डालीमिव रूपिणीम् ।

जरया वेपमानाङ्गीं यक्ष्मग्रस्तामसृक्पटाम् ॥ १२ ॥

विकीर्य पलितान् केशांस्तिष्ठ तिष्ठेति भाषिणीम् ।

मीनगन्ध्यसुगन्धेन कुर्वतीं मार्गदूषणम् ॥ १३ ॥

tāṁ dadarśānudhāvantīṁ

cāṇḍālīm iva rūpiṇīm

jarayā vepamānāṅgīṁ

yakṣma-grastām asṛk-paṭām

vikīrya palitān keśāṁs

tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti bhāṣiṇīm

mīna-gandhy-asu-gandhena

kurvatīṁ mārga-dūṣaṇam

Translation

Indra saw personified sinful reaction chasing him, appearing like a caṇḍāla woman, a woman of the lowest class. She seemed very old, and all the limbs of her body trembled. Because she was afflicted with tuberculosis, her body and garments were covered with blood. Breathing an unbearable fishy odor that polluted the entire street, she called to Indra, “Wait! Wait!”

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Sinful Reaction Pursues Indra

  1. 1

    Indra saw his sinful reaction personified as an old, trembling caṇḍāla woman chasing him.

  2. 2

    Her body and garments were covered with blood. Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a person afflicted with tuberculosis often vomits blood, making the garments bloody.

  3. 3

    Her breath polluted the street with an unbearable fishy odor as she called to Indra, “Wait! Wait!”

Key points from the purport
  • When a person is afflicted with tuberculosis, he often vomits blood, which makes his garments bloody.

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:

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. He went to Mānasa-sarovara, and there, under the protection of the goddess of fortune, he meditated for one thousand years.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāmthe sinful reaction
  2. dadarśahe saw
  3. anudhāvantīmchasing
  4. cāṇḍālīma woman of the lowest class
  5. ivalike
  6. rūpiṇīmtaking a form
  7. jarayābecause of old age
  8. vepamāna-aṅgīmwhose bodily limbs were trembling
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sinful”

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

How does this vivid description help me take the consequences of sinful actions seriously?

Practice

Before one decision today, pause and consider whether the action could bring harmful consequences.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySinful Reaction Pursues IndraThis 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.

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