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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
6.18.166.18.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.17

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

बाणज्येष्ठं पुत्रशतमशनायां ततोऽभवत् ।

तस्यानुभावं

सुश्लोक्यं पश्चादेवाभिधास्यते ॥ १७ ॥

bāṇa-jyeṣṭhaṁ putra-śatam

aśanāyāṁ tato ’bhavat

tasyānubhāvaṁ suślokyaṁ

paścād evābhidhāsyate

Translation

Thereafter, Bali Mahārāja begot one hundred sons in the womb of Aśanā. Of these one hundred sons, King Bāṇa was the eldest. The activities of Bali Mahārāja, which are very laudable, will be described later [in the Eighth Canto].

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.

Bali Mahārāja’s Family and Laudable Activities

  1. 1

    Bali Mahārāja had one hundred sons through Aśanā.

  2. 2

    King Bāṇa was the eldest of these sons.

  3. 3

    Bali Mahārāja’s activities are described as very laudable, and their account is promised later.

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:

Bali Mahārāja had one hundred sons, of whom Bāṇa was the eldest. After describing the dynasty of the Ādityas and the other demigods, Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Diti’s sons known as the Maruts and how they were elevated to the position of demigods.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. bāṇa-jyeṣṭhamhaving Bāṇa as the eldest
  2. putra-śatamone hundred sons
  3. aśanāyāmthrough Aśanā
  4. tataḥfrom him
  5. abhavatthere were
  6. tasyahis
  7. anubhāvamcharacter
  8. su-ślokyamlaudable
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “king”

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 does the description of Bali Mahārāja’s activities encourage me to hear more?

Practice

Note that Bali Mahārāja’s activities are praised here, while their details remain to be explained.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.18's connections

Live this todayBali Mahārāja’s Family and Laudable ActivitiesThis 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 6.18.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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