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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
6.16.426.16.44

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.43

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Citraketusince 6.16.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न व्यभिचरति तवेक्षा

यया ह्यभिहितो भागवतो धर्म: ।

स्थिरचरसत्त्वकदम्बे-

ष्वपृथग्धियो यमुपासते त्वार्या: ॥ ४३ ॥

na vyabhicarati tavekṣā

yayā hy abhihito bhāgavato dharmaḥ

sthira-cara-sattva-kadambeṣv

apṛthag-dhiyo yam upāsate tv āryāḥ

Translation

My dear Lord, one’s occupational duty is instructed in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam and Bhagavad-gītā according to Your point of view, which never deviates from the highest goal of life. Those who follow their occupational duties under Your supervision, being equal to all living entities, moving and nonmoving, and not considering high and low, are called Āryans. Such Āryans worship You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Follow Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions and Protect All Life

  1. 1

    Bhāgavata-dharma means living according to the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Human life is meant for understanding this teaching from an early age.

  2. 2

    Those educated in Kṛṣṇa consciousness see all living beings equally. All life should be protected, including trees and plants.

  3. 3

    Social duties should follow one’s qualities and activities, with eagerness to satisfy Kṛṣṇa. The goal is to think of Him, become His devotee, worship Him and offer Him homage.

Key points from the purport
  • The members of human society who strictly follow the principles of bhāgavata-dharma and live according to the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are called Āryans or ārya.
  • The brāhmaṇas should follow the instructions of the Supreme Personality of Godhead as stated in Bhagavad-gītā and other Vedic literatures.
  • Āryans do not deviate from the instructions of Kṛṣṇa, nor do they have doubts about Kṛṣṇa, but non-Āryans and other demoniac people fail to follow the instructions of Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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· 2

The purport of SB 6.16.43 quotesSB 7.6.1

tad apy adhruvam arthadam. Prahlāda Mahārāja preached bhāgavata-dharma among his classmates as soon as an opportunity was afforded by the absence of his teachers from the classroom.

The purport of SB 6.16.43 quotesBG 12.6

In Bhagavad-gītā (12.6-7) Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa says:

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:

Unless one becomes a devotee, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead. After Citraketu finished his prayers, the unlimited Supreme Lord explained knowledge of Himself to Citraketu.
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. vyabhicaratifails
  3. tavaYour
  4. īkṣāoutlook
  5. yayāby which
  6. hiindeed
  7. abhihitaḥdeclared
  8. bhāgavataḥin relationship with Your instructions and activities
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “duty”, “duties”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”, “devotee”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “understanding”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I carry out one daily duty to satisfy Kṛṣṇa rather than merely please my senses?

Practice

Before beginning one duty today, pause and make a conscious intention to do it for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

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

The purport quotesSB 7.6.1

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

Live this todayFollow Kṛṣṇa’s Instructions and Protect All LifeThis 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 6.16.43? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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