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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

6.14.12 6.14.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.13

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.14.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न तस्य सम्पद: सर्वा महिष्यो वामलोचना: ।

सार्वभौमस्य भूश्चेयमभवन्प्रीतिहेतव: ॥ १३ ॥

na tasya sampadaḥ sarvā

mahiṣyo vāma-locanāḥ

sārvabhaumasya bhūś ceyam

abhavan prīti-hetavaḥ

Translation

His queens all had beautiful faces and attractive eyes, yet neither his opulences, his hundreds and thousands of queens, nor the lands of which he was the supreme proprietor were sources of happiness for him.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Possessions Alone Do Not Bring Happiness

1
Citraketu's queens had beautiful faces and attractive eyes, yet they were not sources of happiness for him.
2
His great opulences also failed to give him pleasure.
3
Although he was the supreme proprietor of vast lands, that ownership did not make him happy.

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

Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Among many thousands of people who desire relief from material existence, one is freed from the association of unwanted persons or is relieved of material contamination. And among many millions of such liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.14

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

nanot
tasyaof him (Citraketu)
sampadaḥthe great opulences
sarvāḥall
mahiṣyaḥthe queens
vāma-locanāḥhaving very attractive eyes
sārva-bhaumasyaof the emperor
bhūḥland

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What possession or advantage am I expecting to make me happy?

Practice

Pause before one nonessential purchase today and consider whether possessing it would truly settle your dissatisfaction.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPossessions Alone Do Not Bring HappinessThis 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 6.14.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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