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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation
6.14.356.14.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.36

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Citraketusince 6.14.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृच्छ्रलब्धेऽथ राजर्षेस्तनयेऽनुदिनं पितु: ।

यथा नि:स्वस्य कृच्छ्राप्ते धने स्‍नेहोऽन्ववर्धत ॥ ३६ ॥

kṛcchra-labdhe ’tha rājarṣes

tanaye ’nudinaṁ pituḥ

yathā niḥsvasya kṛcchrāpte

dhane sneho ’nvavardhata

Translation

When a poor man gets some money after great difficulty, his affection for the money increases daily. Similarly, when King Citraketu, after great difficulty, received a son, his affection for the son increased day after day.

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.

Hard-Won Gains Deepen Attachment

  1. 1

    A poor man’s affection for money increases when he obtains it after great difficulty.

  2. 2

    King Citraketu had similarly received a son after great difficulty.

  3. 3

    His affection for his son increased day after day.

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. kṛcchrawith great difficulty
  2. labdhegained
  3. athathereafter
  4. rāja-ṛṣeḥof the pious King Citraketu
  5. tanayefor the son
  6. anudinamday after day
  7. pituḥof the father
  8. yathāexactly as
3

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

  • 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

What has become especially dear to me because it was difficult to obtain?

Practice

Write down one hard-won gain and notice how your attachment to it has grown.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHard-Won Gains Deepen AttachmentThis 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 6.14.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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