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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

6.14.8 6.14.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.14.9

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.14.9inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

श‍ृणुष्वावहितो राजन्नितिहासमिमं यथा ।

श्रुतं द्वैपायनमुखान्नारदाद्देवलादपि ॥ ९ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

śṛṇuṣvāvahito rājann

itihāsam imaṁ yathā

śrutaṁ dvaipāyana-mukhān

nāradād devalād api

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: O King, I shall speak to you the same history I have heard from the mouths of Vyāsadeva, Nārada and Devala. Please listen with attention.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear Attentively and Pass On Faithfully

1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī had heard this history from Vyāsadeva, Nārada and Devala.
2
He would tell the King the same history he had received from them.
3
He asked the King to listen with attention.

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

Chapter 14: King Citraketu’s Lamentation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In this Fourteenth Chapter, Parīkṣit Mahārāja asks his spiritual master, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, how such a demon as Vṛtrāsura could become an exalted devotee. In this connection the previous life of Vṛtrāsura is discussed.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.14

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
śṛṇuṣvaplease hear
avahitaḥwith great attention
rājanO King
itihāsamhistory
imamthis
yathājust as
śrutamheard

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
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.14
In this verse: “heard”
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.14
In this verse: “king”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I giving what I hear enough attention to understand and repeat it faithfully?

Practice

Read today’s passage once without distractions, then summarize it without adding details.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Attentively and Pass On FaithfullyThis 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 6.14.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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