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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
6.16.446.16.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.45

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

अथ भगवन् वयमधुना

त्वदवलोकपरिमृष्टाशयमला: ।

सुरऋषिणा यत्कथितं

तावकेन कथमन्यथा भवति ॥ ४५ ॥

atha bhagavan vayam adhunā

tvad-avaloka-parimṛṣṭāśaya-malāḥ

sura-ṛṣiṇā yat kathitaṁ

tāvakena katham anyathā bhavati

Translation

Therefore, my dear Lord, simply seeing You has now wiped away all the contamination of sinful activities and their results of material attachment and lusty desires, which always filled my mind and the core of my heart. Whatever is predicted by the great sage Nārada Muni cannot be otherwise. In other words, I have obtained Your audience as a result of being trained by Nārada Muni.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Training in Service Purifies Our Vision

  1. 1

    One must take lessons from authorities like Nārada, Vyāsa and Asita and follow their principles. Such training makes it possible to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  2. 2

    Our blunt material senses cannot perceive the Lord on their own. They must be engaged in His service according to the instructions of the authorities.

  3. 3

    Seeing the Lord vanquishes the sinful reactions within the heart. The prayer acknowledges that Nārada Muni’s training led to this audience and purification.

Key points from the purport
  • Then one will be able to see the Supreme Personality of Godhead even with one’s own eyes.
  • With our blunt eyes and other senses we cannot perceive the Supreme Personality of Godhead, but if we engage our senses in the service of the Lord according to the instructions of the authorities, it will be possible to see Him.
  • As soon as one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead, all the sinful reactions in the core of one’s heart are certainly vanquished.

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athatherefore
  2. bhagavanO Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. vayamwe
  4. adhunāat the present moment
  5. tvat-avalokaby seeing You
  6. parimṛṣṭawiped away
  7. āśaya-malāḥcontaminated desires in the heart
  8. sura-ṛṣiṇāby the great sage of the demigods (Nārada)
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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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attachment”, “lusty”, “material”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

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

    In this verse: “sinful”, “contamination”, “purification”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

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

    In this verse: “principles”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I willing to train my senses in service rather than rely only on their present limitations?

Practice

Read this verse’s translation aloud once, engaging your voice and hearing in attention to the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTraining in Service Purifies Our VisionThis 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 6.16.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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