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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu
6.15.66.15.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.15.7

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

देहेन देहिनो राजन् देहाद्देहोऽभिजायते ।

बीजादेव यथा बीजं देह्यर्थ इव शाश्वत: ॥ ७ ॥

dehena dehino rājan

dehād deho ’bhijāyate

bījād eva yathā bījaṁ

dehy artha iva śāśvataḥ

Translation

As from one seed another seed is generated, O King, so from one body [the body of the father], through another body [the body of the mother], a third body is generated [the body of a son]. As the elements of the material body are eternal, the living entity who appears through these material elements is also eternal.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Parents Generate Bodies, Not Eternal Souls

  1. 1

    Material energy consists of five gross and three subtle elements. The living entity belongs to the superior, spiritual energy.

  2. 2

    Both matter and spirit exist eternally as potencies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. The living being is part and parcel of the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    According to his own choice and karma, the living being receives different bodies through fathers and mothers. The Lord allows him to experience material enjoyment and suffering in those bodies.

Key points from the purport
  • The living entity, who represents the superior energy, appears in different types of bodies through these elements by the manipulation or supervision of the material energy.
  • Factually, the spiritual energy, the living entity who desires to enjoy material things, is manipulated by the Supreme Lord.
  • The so-called father and mother have nothing to do with the living entity.

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 15: The Saints Nārada and Aṅgirā Instruct King Citraketu

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

By a temporary arrangement, a father begets a child, or a living entity becomes the child of a so-called father. This temporary arrangement is made by the Supreme Lord.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dehenaby the body
  2. dehinaḥof the father possessing a material body
  3. rājanO King
  4. dehātfrom the body (of the mother)
  5. dehaḥanother body
  6. abhijāyatetakes birth
  7. bījātfrom one seed
  8. evaindeed
3

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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.15

    In this verse: “mother”, “father”, “mothers”

  • 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”

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

How does distinguishing the eternal soul from the body deepen my understanding of birth?

Practice

Write this distinction in your own words: parents generate a body, while the living entity is eternal.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayParents Generate Bodies, Not Eternal SoulsThis 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 6.15.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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