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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 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra
6.18.12-136.18.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.14

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

शिरोऽहरद्यस्य हरिश्चक्रेण पिबतोऽमृतम् ।

संह्रादस्य कृतिर्भार्यासूत पञ्चजनं तत: ॥ १४ ॥

śiro ’harad yasya hariś

cakreṇa pibato ’mṛtam

saṁhrādasya kṛtir bhāryā-

sūta pañcajanaṁ tataḥ

Translation

While Rāhu, in disguise, was drinking nectar among the demigods, the Supreme Personality of Godhead severed his head. The wife of Saṁhlāda was named Kṛti. By union with Saṁhlāda, Kṛti gave birth to a son named Pañcajana.

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.

Rāhu’s Disguise and Saṁhlāda’s Family

  1. 1

    Rāhu drank nectar among the demigods while in disguise.

  2. 2

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead severed Rāhu’s head.

  3. 3

    Saṁhlāda’s wife was Kṛti, and their son was Pañcajana.

How it feels

Resentment and resolve → Constraint and consequence. Family conflict frames a test of intention.

Chapters 18–19 of Canto 6: Diti's vow and discipline. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In association with the demon Vipracit, Siṁhikā bore a son named Rāhu, whose head was severed by the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Kṛti, the wife of Saṁhlāda, bore a son named Pañcajana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śiraḥthe head
  2. aharatcut off
  3. yasyaof whom
  4. hariḥHari
  5. cakreṇawith the disc
  6. pibataḥdrinking
  7. amṛtamnectar
  8. saṁhrādasyaof Saṁhlāda
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

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

What does the translation actually tell me about Rāhu, without adding details from elsewhere?

Practice

Reread the translation and recall its two events: what happened to Rāhu and the birth of Pañcajana.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRāhu’s Disguise and Saṁhlāda’s FamilyThis 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 6.18.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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