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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation
6.14.166.14.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.17

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The great sage Aṅgirāsince 6.14.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अङ्गिरा उवाच

अपि तेऽनामयं स्वस्ति प्रकृतीनां तथात्मन: ।

यथा प्रकृतिभिर्गुप्त: पुमान् राजा च सप्तभि: ॥ १७ ॥

aṅgirā uvāca

api te ’nāmayaṁ svasti

prakṛtīnāṁ tathātmanaḥ

yathā prakṛtibhir guptaḥ

pumān rājā ca saptabhiḥ

Translation

The great sage Aṅgirā said: My dear King, I hope that your body and mind and your royal associates and paraphernalia are well. When the seven properties of material nature [the total material energy, the ego and the five objects of sense gratification] are in proper order, the living entity within the material elements is happy. Without these seven elements one cannot exist. Similarly, a king is always protected by seven elements — his instructor (svāmī or guru), his ministers, his kingdom, his fort, his treasury, his royal order and his friends.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Well-Being Includes Those Who Support Us

  1. 1

    A king is not alone: his spiritual master is his supreme guide. His ministers, kingdom, fortifications, treasury, law and order, and allies also support him.

  2. 2

    The soul lives within the material covering of the mahat-tattva, ego and five objects of sense gratification. When these seven are in proper order, the embodied living entity feels pleasure.

  3. 3

    Aṅgirā inquired about both the King's health and his associates. Similarly, caring about a friend's welfare includes concern for family, livelihood and helpers.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, as explained in Bhagavad-gītā (dehino ’smin yathā dehe), the living entity, the soul, is within the material covering of the mahat-tattva, ego and pañca-tanmātrā, the five objects of sense gratification.
  • When these seven are in proper order, the living entity is in a mood of pleasure.
  • Therefore the great sage Aṅgirā Ṛṣi inquired about the King’s personal health and the good fortune of his seven associates.

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

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:

Among many millions of living entities, the number of human beings is extremely small, and among human beings who are actually religious, only some are eager to be liberated from material existence. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. aṅgirāḥ uvācathe great sage Aṅgirā said
  2. apiwhether
  3. teof you
  4. anāmayamhealth
  5. svastiauspiciousness
  6. prakṛtīnāmof your royal elements (associates and paraphernalia)
  7. tathāas well as
  8. ātmanaḥof your own body, mind and soul
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “sense gratification”, “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “king”, “kingdom”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “friends”, “friend's”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When I ask someone how they are, do I also care about the people and responsibilities supporting their life?

Practice

Ask a friend about both their own well-being and one aspect of their family or livelihood.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWell-Being Includes Those Who Support UsThis 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 6.14.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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