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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 16: King Citraketu Meets the Supreme Lord
6.16.456.16.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.46

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Citraketusince 6.16.34inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विदितमनन्त समस्तं

तव जगदात्मनो जनैरिहाचरितम् ।

विज्ञाप्यं परमगुरो:

कियदिव सवितुरिव खद्योतै: ॥ ४६ ॥

viditam ananta samastaṁ

tava jagad-ātmano janair ihācaritam

vijñāpyaṁ parama-guroḥ

kiyad iva savitur iva khadyotaiḥ

Translation

O unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead, whatever a living entity does in this material world is well known to You because You are the Supersoul. In the presence of the sun there is nothing to be revealed by the light of a glowworm. Similarly, because You know everything, in Your presence there is nothing for me to make known.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supersoul Already Knows Everything

  1. 1

    The unlimited Supreme Personality of Godhead is the Supersoul. Everything living beings do in this material world is already known to Him.

  2. 2

    A glowworm’s light reveals nothing in the presence of the sun. Similarly, nothing needs to be made known to the all-knowing Lord.

  3. 3

    The prayer humbly acknowledges the Lord’s complete knowledge. The speaker does not claim to tell Him anything He does not already know.

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. viditamwell known
  2. anantaO unlimited
  3. samastameverything
  4. tavato You
  5. jagat-ātmanaḥwho are the Supersoul of all living entities
  6. janaiḥby the mass of people, or all living entities
  7. ihawithin this material world
  8. ācaritamperformed
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”

  • 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

How does remembering that the Lord already knows my actions affect the way I pray?

Practice

Offer a brief prayer today acknowledging that the Lord already knows your actions.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supersoul Already Knows EverythingThis 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 6.16.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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