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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 17: Mother Pārvatī Curses Citraketu
6.17.196.17.21

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.17.20

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Citraketusince 6.17.17inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

गुणप्रवाह एतस्मिन् क: शाप: को न्वनुग्रह: ।

क: स्वर्गो नरक: को वा किं सुखं दु:खमेव वा ॥ २० ॥

guṇa-pravāha etasmin

kaḥ śāpaḥ ko nv anugrahaḥ

kaḥ svargo narakaḥ ko vā

kiṁ sukhaṁ duḥkham eva vā

Translation

This material world resembles the waves of a constantly flowing river. Therefore, what is a curse and what is a favor? What are the heavenly planets, and what are the hellish planets? What is actually happiness, and what is actually distress? Because the waves flow constantly, none of them has an eternal effect.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember You Are Kṛṣṇa’s Eternal Servant

  1. 1

    Material conditions resemble the waves of a constantly flowing river. Curses, favors, happiness and distress have no eternal effect.

  2. 2

    Even the world’s so-called temporary happiness is misery, though ignorance prevents us from recognizing this. Changing material conditions cannot provide lasting relief.

  3. 3

    The living entity should understand that he is Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant and surrender to Him. A Kṛṣṇa conscious person is no longer absorbed in distinctions between material happiness and distress.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Bhaktivinoda Ṭhākura sings, (miche) māyāra vaśe, yāccha bhese’, khāccha hābuḍubu, bhāi: “My dear living entities within this material world, why are you being carried away by the waves of the modes of material nature?”
  • If we do so, where will the cause and effect of this material world be?
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura says in this regard that being put into this material world is like being thrown into a mine of salt.

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

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.7.8

This idea is expressed by the saintly King Citraketu in the Sixth Canto of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (6.17.20): “This material world resembles the waves of a constantly flowing river.

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 17: Mother Pārvatī Curses Citraketu

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

A devotee is neutral in all conditions of life, whether in the heavenly planets or hellish planets, whether liberated from the material world or conditioned by it, and whether blessed with happiness or subjected to distress. These are all merely dualities created by the external energy.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.17
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. guṇa-pravāhein the current of the modes of material nature
  2. etasminthis
  3. kaḥwhat
  4. śāpaḥa curse
  5. kaḥwhat
  6. nuindeed
  7. anugrahaḥa favor
  8. kaḥwhat
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

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 6.17

    In this verse: “favor”, “favors”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.17

    In this verse: “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 6.17

    In this verse: “distress”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How would remembering that I am Kṛṣṇa’s servant change my response to today’s ups and downs?

Practice

When your mood changes today, pause and remember, “I am an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa,” then do one small act of service.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember You Are Kṛṣṇa’s Eternal ServantThis 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.

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