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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
6.16.206.16.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.21

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.16.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitAṅgirā and Nārada Muni → King Citraketu

वचस्युपरतेऽप्राप्य य एको मनसा सह ।

अनामरूपश्चिन्मात्र: सोऽव्यान्न: सदसत्पर: ॥ २१ ॥

vacasy uparate ’prāpya

ya eko manasā saha

anāma-rūpaś cin-mātraḥ

so ’vyān naḥ sad-asat-paraḥ

Translation

The words and mind of the conditioned soul cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for material names and forms are not applicable to the Lord, who is entirely spiritual, beyond the conception of gross and subtle forms. The impersonal Brahman is another of His forms. May He, by His pleasure, protect us.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Spiritual Lord Transcends Material Conceptions

  1. 1

    The conditioned soul’s words and mind cannot approach the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Material names and forms do not apply to Him.

  2. 2

    The Lord is entirely spiritual, beyond gross and subtle material forms. This does not mean that He has a material form hidden from ordinary sight.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies impersonal Brahman as the Lord’s effulgence. The prayer asks that the Lord, by His pleasure, protect us.

Key points from the purport
  • The impersonal Brahman, which is the effulgence of the Lord, is described in this verse.

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 16: King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Therefore Nārada Muni advised Citraketu not to lament for his so-called dead son.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.16
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vacasiwhen the words
  2. uparatecease
  3. aprāpyanot achieving the goal
  4. yaḥHe who
  5. ekaḥone without a second
  6. manasāthe mind
  7. sahawith
  8. anāmawith no material name
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “material”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “protect”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where might my understanding of the Lord still depend on material comparisons?

Practice

Offer the simple prayer “May You, by Your pleasure, protect us,” remembering that the Lord is entirely spiritual.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Spiritual Lord Transcends Material ConceptionsThis 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 6.16.21? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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