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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 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation
6.14.226.14.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Citraketusince 6.14.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

चित्रकेतुरुवाच

भगवन् किं न विदितं तपोज्ञानसमाधिभि: ।

योगिनां ध्वस्तपापानां बहिरन्त: शरीरिषु ॥ २३ ॥

citraketur uvāca

bhagavan kiṁ na viditaṁ

tapo-jñāna-samādhibhiḥ

yogināṁ dhvasta-pāpānāṁ

bahir antaḥ śarīriṣu

Translation

King Citraketu said: O great lord Aṅgirā, because of austerity, knowledge and transcendental samādhi, you are freed from all the reactions of sinful life. Therefore, as a perfect yogī, you can understand everything external and internal regarding embodied, conditioned souls like us.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Honor the Insight of a Perfect Yogī

  1. 1

    Citraketu recognized Aṅgirā as freed from all reactions of sinful life through austerity, knowledge and transcendental samādhi.

  2. 2

    As a perfect yogī, Aṅgirā could understand both the external and internal condition of embodied souls.

  3. 3

    Citraketu included himself among conditioned souls, acknowledging the sage’s understanding rather than claiming it for himself.

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:

And among many millions of such liberated persons, one may become a devotee of Lord Nārāyaṇa. Therefore such devotees are extremely rare.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. citraketuḥ uvācaKing Citraketu replied
  2. bhagavanO most powerful sage
  3. kimwhat
  4. nanot
  5. viditamis understood
  6. tapaḥby austerity
  7. jñānaknowledge
  8. samādhibhiḥand by samādhi (trance, transcendental meditation)
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understand”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • 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

Can I acknowledge the limits of my own understanding when approaching spiritual guidance?

Practice

Before studying today, pause to acknowledge that you have something to learn.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Insight of a Perfect YogīThis 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 6.14.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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