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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 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu

6.15.2 6.15.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.15.3

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.15.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा प्रयान्ति संयान्ति स्रोतोवेगेन बालुका: ।

संयुज्यन्ते वियुज्यन्ते तथा कालेन देहिन: ॥ ३ ॥

yathā prayānti saṁyānti

sroto-vegena bālukāḥ

saṁyujyante viyujyante

tathā kālena dehinaḥ

Translation

O King, as small particles of sand sometimes come together and are sometimes separated due to the force of the waves, the living entities who have accepted material bodies sometimes come together and are sometimes separated by the force of time.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

We Are Souls, Not Bodies

1
The body is material, but the soul within it is spiritual. Accepting the body as the self is the misunderstanding of the conditioned soul.
2
Like particles of sand moved by waves, bodies come together and separate by the force of time. The soul passes through bodily changes and enters another body at death.
3
Our real interest is to understand that we are spiritual beings, not bodies. Material arrangements for peace and happiness cannot endure or end material suffering.

Key points from the purport

The body is material, but within the body is the soul.
Like small particles of sand, bodies come together and are separated by the force of time, and people falsely lament for unification and separation.
Therefore material life is said to be duḥkhālayam aśāśvatam; it is a reservoir of miserable conditions.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 6.15.3 quotesBG 2.13

Therefore in Bhagavad-gītā (2.13) this is the first instruction given by the Lord: “As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

By the arrangement of time, the relationship exists only in the present. One should not lament for temporary relationships.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.15

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yathājust as
prayāntimove apart
saṁyānticome together
srotaḥ-vegenaby the force of waves
bālukāḥthe small particles of sand
saṁyujyantethey are united
viyujyantethey are separated
tathāsimilarly
kālenaby time
dehinaḥthe living entities who have accepted material bodies

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Mukti · Liberation
What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.15
In this verse: “material”
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: “separated”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering that I am a soul change my response to bodily changes?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on how your body has changed since childhood while you remain the person experiencing those changes.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWe Are Souls, Not BodiesThis 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 6.15.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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