1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.19

Who is speaking and story frame

अपि दारा: प्रजामात्या भृत्या: श्रेण्योऽथ मन्त्रिण: ।

पौरा जानपदा भूपा आत्मजा वशवर्तिन: ॥ १९ ॥

api dārāḥ prajāmātyā

bhṛtyāḥ śreṇyo ’tha mantriṇaḥ

paurā jānapadā bhūpā

ātmajā vaśa-vartinaḥ

Translation

O King, are your wives, citizens, secretaries and servants and the merchants who sell spices and oil under your control? Are you also in full control of ministers, the inhabitants of your palace, your provincial governors, your sons and your other dependents?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Cooperation Supports Leaders and Dependents

  1. 1

    The sage asked whether the King's household, citizens, officials, merchants and other dependents were under his control.

  2. 2

    The purport explains that the king and his subordinates should be interdependent.

  3. 3

    Through cooperation, both the leader and those who depend on him can be happy.

Key points from the purport
  • The master or king and his subordinates should be interdependent.
  • Through cooperation, both of them can be happy.

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:

Citraketu, who had no sons, got an opportunity to meet the great sage Aṅgirā. When Aṅgirā inquired from the King about his welfare, the King expressed his moroseness, and therefore by the grace of the great sage, the King’s first wife, Kṛtadyuti, gave birth to a son, who was the cause of both happiness and lamentation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. apiwhether
  2. dārāḥwives
  3. prajācitizens
  4. amātyāḥand secretaries
  5. bhṛtyāḥservants
  6. śreṇyaḥmerchants
  7. athaas well as
  8. mantriṇaḥministers
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “king”, “governors”, “citizens”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “household”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I treating a shared responsibility as cooperation rather than one-sided control?

Practice

Agree with someone on one small task you can complete cooperatively today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCooperation Supports Leaders and DependentsThis 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 6.14.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.