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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
6.16.276.16.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.16.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit
A turning point forCitraketu / Vṛtrāsura· Vision and transformation

तत: स सप्तरात्रान्ते विद्यया धार्यमाणया ।

विद्याधराधिपत्यं च लेभेऽप्रतिहतं नृप ॥ २८ ॥

tataḥ sa sapta-rātrānte

vidyayā dhāryamāṇayā

vidyādharādhipatyaṁ ca

lebhe ’pratihataṁ nṛpa

Translation

O King Parīkṣit, after only one week of repeatedly practicing the mantra received from the spiritual master, Citraketu achieved the rule of the planet of the Vidyādharas as an intermediate product of his spiritual advancement in knowledge.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotion Matters More Than Material Power

  1. 1

    Citraketu carefully followed his spiritual master’s instructions. After one week, he received rulership of the planet of the Vidyādharas as an intermediate result.

  2. 2

    Devotional service alone can award all material power. A devotee need not separately practice yoga, karma or jñāna for such results.

  3. 3

    A pure devotee is never attached to material power, even when it comes easily. Citraketu’s opulence was a side benefit of his devotional service, not its goal.

Key points from the purport
  • If a devotee, after being initiated, adheres rigidly to the instructions of the spiritual master, he is naturally endowed with the material opulences of vidyādhara-adhipatyam and similar posts as by-products.
  • Devotional service alone is competent to award a devotee all material power.
  • Citraketu received this side benefit of his devotional service, which he rigidly performed in accordance with the instructions of Nārada.

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:

After being initiated by Nārada Muni, King Citraketu chanted the mahā-vidyā, and after one week he attained the presence of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa, who was surrounded by the four Kumāras. The Lord was nicely dressed in bluish garments, with a helmet and ornaments of gold.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tataḥfrom this
  2. saḥhe
  3. sapta-rātra-anteat the end of seven nights
  4. vidyayāby the prayers
  5. dhāryamāṇayābeing carefully practiced
  6. vidyādhara-adhipatyammastership of the Vidyādharas (as an intermediate result)
  7. caalso
  8. lebheachieved
  9. apratihatamundeviated from the instructions of the spiritual master
  10. nṛpaO King Parīkṣit
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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 6.16

    In this verse: “king”, “rulership”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attached”, “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “knowledge”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Are you more interested in devotional service itself or in the benefits it might bring?

Practice

Perform one small act of devotional service today without asking for material success in return.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotion Matters More Than Material PowerThis 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.

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