1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
6.16.596.16.61-62

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.16.60

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Anantadevasince 6.16.50inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सुखाय दु:खमोक्षाय कुर्वाते दम्पती क्रिया: ।

ततोऽनिवृत्तिरप्राप्तिर्दु:खस्य च सुखस्य च ॥ ६० ॥

sukhāya duḥkha-mokṣāya

kurvāte dampatī kriyāḥ

tato ’nivṛttir aprāptir

duḥkhasya ca sukhasya ca

Translation

As husband and wife, a man and woman plan together to attain happiness and decrease unhappiness, working jointly in many ways, but because their activities are full of desires, these activities are never a source of happiness, and they never diminish distress. On the contrary, they are a cause of great unhappiness.

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.

Desire-Filled Plans Do Not End Distress

  1. 1

    A husband and wife work together in many ways to gain happiness and lessen unhappiness.

  2. 2

    Because their activities are full of desires, they neither attain the happiness they seek nor bring distress to an end.

  3. 3

    Instead, these desire-filled activities become a cause of great unhappiness. The verse asks us to examine what drives our efforts.

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:

The difference between worshiping the Lord and worshiping the demigods is that the worshiper of the Lord also becomes eternal, whereas whatever benedictions one can get from the demigods are impermanent. Unless one becomes a devotee, one cannot understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sukhāyafor happiness
  2. duḥkha-mokṣāyafor release from the unhappy state
  3. kurvāteperform
  4. dam-patīthe wife and husband
  5. kriyāḥactivities
  6. tataḥfrom that
  7. anivṛttiḥno cessation
  8. aprāptiḥno achievement
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 6.16

    In this verse: “distress”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which desire am I expecting to fulfill before I can feel happy?

Practice

Examine one plan for enjoyment today and ask whether the desire behind it is adding to your distress.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDesire-Filled Plans Do Not End DistressThis 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 6.16.60? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories