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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 16: King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord
6.16.96.16.11

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.10

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 6.16.2inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitAṅgirā and Nārada Muni → King Citraketu

न ह्यस्यास्ति प्रिय: कश्चिन्नाप्रिय: स्व: परोऽपि वा ।

एक: सर्वधियां द्रष्टा कर्तृणां गुणदोषयो: ॥ १० ॥

na hy asyāsti priyaḥ kaścin

nāpriyaḥ svaḥ paro ’pi vā

ekaḥ sarva-dhiyāṁ draṣṭā

kartṝṇāṁ guṇa-doṣayoḥ

Translation

For this living entity, no one is dear, nor is anyone unfavorable. He makes no distinction between that which is his own and that which belongs to anyone else. He is one without a second; in other words, he is not affected by friends and enemies, well-wishers or mischief-mongers. He is only an observer, a witness, of the different qualities of men.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Impartial Lord Favors Devotional Service

  1. 1

    The living entity has the Supreme Lord’s qualities in minute quantities. The Lord is all-pervading and completely free from the ignorance of conditioned souls.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Lord is equal to all, yet He is especially kind and favorable to those engaged in His devotional service. He protects His devotees from those who envy them.

  3. 3

    The Lord witnesses everyone’s activities and gives the results of sinful or pious actions. He also witnesses offenses against His devotees and is inclined to punish their enemies.

Key points from the purport
  • The Lord is extremely antagonistic toward those who are envious of His devotees.
  • To protect His devotees, the Lord sometimes has to kill their enemies.
  • Since the Lord is the witness of everyone’s activities, He witnesses the actions of the enemies of His devotees, and He is inclined to punish them.

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 6.16.10 quotesBG 9.29

As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gītā (9.29): na me dveṣyo ’sti na priyaḥ

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

Further reading

Chapter 16: King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

All our relationships in this material world with friends, relatives or enemies consist of duality, in which one feels happy and distressed on the basis of illusion. The living entity is actually a spiritual soul who is part and parcel of God and has nothing to do with relationships in the world of duality.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. hiindeed
  3. asyato the living entity
  4. astithere is
  5. priyaḥdear
  6. kaścitsomeone
  7. nanot
  8. apriyaḥnot dear
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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

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “devotional service”, “devotees”

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “friends”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I respond to the Lord’s kindness through devotional service rather than envy?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer expressing your wish to serve the Supreme Lord without envy of His devotees.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.16's connections

Live this todayThe Impartial Lord Favors Devotional ServiceThis 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 6.16.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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