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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 6.16.53-54

Who is speaking and story frame

यथा सुषुप्त: पुरुषो विश्वं पश्यति चात्मनि ।

आत्मानमेकदेशस्थं मन्यते स्वप्न उत्थित: ॥ ५३ ॥

एवं जागरणादीनि जीवस्थानानि चात्मन: ।

मायामात्राणि विज्ञाय तद् द्रष्टारं परं स्मरेत् ॥ ५४ ॥

yathā suṣuptaḥ puruṣo

viśvaṁ paśyati cātmani

ātmānam eka-deśa-sthaṁ

manyate svapna utthitaḥ

evaṁ jāgaraṇādīni

jīva-sthānāni cātmanaḥ

māyā-mātrāṇi vijñāya

tad-draṣṭāraṁ paraṁ smaret

Translation

When a person is in deep sleep, he dreams and sees in himself many other objects, such as great mountains and rivers or perhaps even the entire universe, although they are far away. Sometimes when one awakens from a dream he sees that he is in a human form, lying in his bed in one place. Then he sees himself, in terms of various conditions, as belonging to a particular nationality, family and so on. All the conditions of deep sleep, dreaming and wakefulness are but energies of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. One should always remember the original creator of these conditions, the Supreme Lord, who is unaffected by them.

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

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Kṛṣṇa Through Life’s Changing Conditions

  1. 1

    Deep sleep, dreaming and wakefulness are different phases of conditioned life. Waking concerns about possessions, position and honor are compared to gross dreams.

  2. 2

    Material nature works under the direction of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Kṛṣṇa. He is the original director and remains unaffected by these changing conditions.

  3. 3

    For self-realization, one should always remember Kṛṣṇa and never forget Him. Constant chanting of His holy name helps us remember Him, and realizing Bhagavān is the ultimate realization.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore the Supreme Lord is the ultimate actor, and the conditioned living entity should simply remember this original actor, Śrī Kṛṣṇa.
  • In the human form of life, one should understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for then one will understand everything else.
  • Prakṛti, the material nature, is working under the direction of the Supreme Lord, and we living entities are being carried away by various phases of prakṛti.

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:

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
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yathājust as
  2. suṣuptaḥsleeping
  3. puruṣaḥa person
  4. viśvamthe whole universe
  5. paśyatiperceives
  6. caalso
  7. ātmaniin himself
  8. ātmānamhimself
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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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which concern about my position or possessions most distracts me from remembering Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Pause during one such concern and chant: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.

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The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Kṛṣṇa Through Life’s Changing ConditionsThis 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 6.16.53-54? Get an answer from the verses themselves.