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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 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu
6.14.616.15.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.15.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.15.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit
A turning point forCitraketu / Vṛtrāsura· Saintly intervention

श्रीशुक उवाच

ऊचतुर्मृतकोपान्ते पतितं मृतकोपमम् ।

शोकाभिभूतं राजानं बोधयन्तौ सदुक्तिभि: ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

ūcatur mṛtakopānte

patitaṁ mṛtakopamam

śokābhibhūtaṁ rājānaṁ

bodhayantau sad-uktibhiḥ

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: While King Citraketu, overcome by lamentation, lay like a dead body at the side of the dead body of his son, the two great sages Nārada and Aṅgirā instructed him about spiritual consciousness as follows.

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.

Spiritual Instruction Amid Deep Grief

  1. 1

    King Citraketu was overcome by lamentation. He lay like a dead body beside his dead son.

  2. 2

    The two great sages Nārada and Aṅgirā approached him with spiritual instruction.

  3. 3

    Their instruction directed the grieving King toward spiritual consciousness.

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 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Aṅgirā and Nārada Ṛṣi came to relieve the King from excessive lamentation by instructing him about the spiritual significance of life. The great saints Aṅgirā and Nārada explained that the relationship between father and son is not factual; it is simply a representation of the illusory energy.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. ūcatuḥthey spoke
  3. mṛtakathe dead body
  4. upāntenear
  5. patitamfallen
  6. mṛtaka-upamamexactly like another dead body
  7. śoka-abhibhūtamvery much aggrieved by lamentation
  8. rājānamto the King
  9. bodhayantaugiving instruction
  10. sat-uktibhiḥby instructions that are factual, not temporary
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.15

    In this verse: “king”

  • Viraha · Longing in separation

    Love and remembrance experienced in apparent absence. · Theme in SB 6.15

    In this verse: “lamentation”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When grief feels overwhelming, how willing am I to receive spiritual instruction?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute rereading this verse and considering the spiritual help the sages offered.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySpiritual Instruction Amid Deep GriefThis 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 6.15.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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