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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation
6.14.556.14.57

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.56

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.14.42inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्वं तात नार्हसि च मां कृपणामनाथां

त्यक्तुं विचक्ष्व पितरं तव शोकतप्तम् ।

अञ्जस्तरेम भवताप्रजदुस्तरं यद्

ध्वान्तं न याह्यकरुणेन यमेन दूरम् ॥ ५६ ॥

tvaṁ tāta nārhasi ca māṁ kṛpaṇām anāthāṁ

tyaktuṁ vicakṣva pitaraṁ tava śoka-taptam

añjas tarema bhavatāpraja-dustaraṁ yad

dhvāntaṁ na yāhy akaruṇena yamena dūram

Translation

My dear son, I am helpless and very much aggrieved. You should not give up my company. Just look at your lamenting father. We are helpless because without a son we shall have to suffer the distress of going to the darkest hellish regions. You are the only hope by which we can get out of these dark regions. Therefore I request you not to go any further with the merciless Yama.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Frees One from Karmic Obligations

  1. 1

    The Queen begs her son not to leave with Yama. She fears that without him, she and the King will suffer in the darkest regions.

  2. 2

    The purport explains the Vedic injunction to beget a son who can offer oblations to the forefathers and deliver his parents from Yamarāja’s clutches.

  3. 3

    These subtle laws apply to karmīs. One who becomes a devotee has no further obligations to the laws of karma.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the Vedic injunctions, one must accept a wife just to beget a son who can deliver one from the clutches of Yamarāja.
  • Unless one has a son to offer oblations to the pitās, or forefathers, one must suffer in Yamarāja’s kingdom.
  • King Citraketu was very much aggrieved, thinking that because his son was going away with Yamarāja he himself would again suffer.

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 was overwhelmed by shock at his son’s death. Then Nārada Muni and Aṅgirā went to see him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamyou
  2. tātamy dear son
  3. nanot
  4. arhasiought
  5. caand
  6. māmme
  7. kṛpaṇāmvery poor
  8. anāthāmwithout a protector
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

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “distress”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.14

    In this verse: “father”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I placing my ultimate hope in family obligations or in becoming a devotee?

Practice

Take one quiet minute to renew your intention to become a devotee, rather than relying only on family arrangements.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotion Frees One from Karmic ObligationsThis 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 6.14.56? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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