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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 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation
6.13.22-236.14.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 6.14.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीपरीक्षिदुवाच

रजस्तम:स्वभावस्य ब्रह्मन् वृत्रस्य पाप्मन: ।

नारायणे भगवति कथमासीद् दृढा मति: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-parīkṣid uvāca

rajas-tamaḥ-svabhāvasya

brahman vṛtrasya pāpmanaḥ

nārāyaṇe bhagavati

katham āsīd dṛḍhā matiḥ

Translation

King Parīkṣit inquired from Śukadeva Gosvāmī: O learned brāhmaṇa, demons are generally sinful, being obsessed with the modes of passion and ignorance. How, then, could Vṛtrāsura have attained such exalted love for the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pure Devotion Beyond Passion and Ignorance

  1. 1

    King Parīkṣit wondered how Vṛtrāsura, who was among the demons, had attained exalted love for Nārāyaṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    To become a pure devotee, one must conquer the modes of passion and ignorance and come to the platform of goodness.

  3. 3

    Lord Kṛṣṇa explains that those whose sinful actions are eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion serve Him with determination.

Key points from the purport
  • In this material world, everyone is obsessed with the modes of passion and ignorance.
  • However, unless one conquers these modes and comes to the platform of goodness, there is no chance of one’s becoming a pure devotee.
  • Since Vṛtrāsura was among the demons, Mahārāja Parīkṣit wondered how it was possible for him to have become such an exalted devotee.

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 6.14.1 quotesBG 7.28

This is confirmed by Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself in Bhagavad-gītā (7.28): “Persons who have acted piously in previous lives and in this life, whose sinful actions are completely eradicated and who are freed from the duality of delusion, engage themselves in My service with determination.”

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

Parental grief → Detachment and surrender. A flashback discloses the devotional history behind Vṛtrāsura.

Chapters 14–17 of Canto 6: Citraketu's grief, realization and curse. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this Fourteenth Chapter, Parīkṣit Mahārāja asks his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, how such a demon as Vṛtrāsura could become an exalted devotee. In this connection the previous life of Vṛtrāsura is discussed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-parīkṣit uvācaKing Parīkṣit inquired
  2. rajaḥof the mode of passion
  3. tamaḥand of the mode of ignorance
  4. sva-bhāvasyahaving a nature
  5. brahmanO learned brāhmaṇa
  6. vṛtrasyaof Vṛtrāsura
  7. pāpmanaḥwho was supposedly sinful
  8. nārāyaṇein Lord Nārāyaṇa
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “inquired”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might passion or ignorance be weakening my determination to serve the Lord?

Practice

Notice one impulse toward a sinful action today, and refrain from acting on it while remembering your goal of serving the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Devotion Beyond Passion and IgnoranceThis 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 6.14.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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