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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
6.16.436.16.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.44

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Citraketusince 6.16.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न हि भगवन्नघटितमिदं

त्वद्दर्शनान्नृणामखिलपापक्षय: ।

यन्नाम सकृच्छ्रवणात्

पुक्कशोऽपि विमुच्यते संसारात् ॥ ४४ ॥

na hi bhagavann aghaṭitam idaṁ

tvad-darśanān nṛṇām akhila-pāpa-kṣayaḥ

yan-nāma sakṛc chravaṇāt

pukkaśo ’pi vimucyate saṁsārāt

Translation

My Lord, it is not impossible for one to be immediately freed from all material contamination by seeing You. Not to speak of seeing You personally, merely by hearing the holy name of Your Lordship only once, even caṇḍālas, men of the lowest class, are freed from all material contamination. Under the circumstances, who will not be freed from material contamination simply by seeing You?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Holy Name Purifies

  1. 1

    The holy name of the Supreme Personality of Godhead is so powerful that hearing it even once without offenses can purify anyone, regardless of social standing.

  2. 2

    In this Age of Kali, chanting the Lord’s holy name is recommended as the means of deliverance. Kṛṣṇa conscious life offers freedom from the suffering of material existence.

  3. 3

    The Deity in the temple is not different from the Supreme Lord. Offering food, decorating and serving the Deity bring the same result as serving the Lord personally in Vaikuṇṭha.

Key points from the purport
  • As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.5.16), yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ: simply by hearing the holy name of the Lord, one is immediately purified.
  • Therefore, in this Age of Kali, when all people are very contaminated, the chanting of the holy name of the Lord is recommended as the only means of improvement.
  • Such men, who are called caṇḍālas, are less than śūdras, but they also can be purified simply by hearing the holy name of the Lord, not to speak of personally seeing the Lord.

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 6.16.44 quotesSB 9.5.16

As stated in the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.5.16), yan-nāma-śruti-mātreṇa pumān bhavati nirmalaḥ: simply by hearing the holy name of the Lord, one is immediately purified.

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:

After hearing instructions from their dead child, Citraketu and his wife could understand that all relationships in this material world are causes of misery. The queens who had administered poison to the son of Kṛtadyuti were very much ashamed.
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. bhagavanO my Lord
  4. aghaṭitamnot occurred
  5. idamthis
  6. tvatof You
  7. darśanātby seeing
  8. nṛṇāmof all human beings
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “hearing”, “holy name”, “chanting”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “contamination”, “purify”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might I give more careful attention to hearing the Lord’s holy name?

Practice

Set aside one minute today to chant Hare Kṛṣṇa and listen carefully to the holy name.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Holy Name PurifiesThis 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 6.16.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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