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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

6.18.21 6.18.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.22

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 6.18.22inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीसूत उवाच

तद्विष्णुरातस्य स बादरायणि-

र्वचो निशम्याद‍ृतमल्पमर्थवत् ।

सभाजयन् सन्निभृतेन चेतसा

जगाद सत्रायण सर्वदर्शन: ॥ २२ ॥

śrī-sūta uvāca

tad viṣṇurātasya sa bādarāyaṇir

vaco niśamyādṛtam alpam arthavat

sabhājayan san nibhṛtena cetasā

jagāda satrāyaṇa sarva-darśanaḥ

Translation

Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: O great sage Śaunaka, after hearing Mahārāja Parīkṣit speak respectfully and briefly on topics essential to hear, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, who was well aware of everything, praised his endeavor with great pleasure and replied.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Brief, Meaningful Questions Invite Deeper Understanding

1
Śukadeva Gosvāmī greatly appreciated Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s respectful, brief and meaningful inquiry about how Diti’s sons became demigods.
2
Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura stresses that although Diti was very envious, her heart was purified by a devotional attitude.
3
The purport also notes that Kaśyapa Muni, despite his learning and advanced spiritual consciousness, fell victim to his beautiful wife’s inducement. These significant topics were contained in very few words.

Key points from the purport

Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura stresses that even though Diti was very envious, her heart was purified because of a devotional attitude.
Another significant topic is that although Kaśyapa Muni was a learned scholar and was advanced in spiritual consciousness, he nonetheless fell a victim to the inducement of his beautiful wife.
All these questions were posed in a small number of words, and therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī very much appreciated Mahārāja Parīkṣit’s inquiry.

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

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

Chapter 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Bhṛgu, the mind-born son of Brahmā, took his birth again from Carṣaṇī, the wife of Varuṇa, and the great sage Vālmīki appeared from Varuṇa’s semen. Agastya and Vasiṣṭha were two sons of Varuṇa and Mitra.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.18

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

śrī-sūtaḥ uvācaŚrī Sūta Gosvāmī said
tatthose
viṣṇurātasyaof Mahārāja Parīkṣit
saḥhe
bādarāyaṇiḥŚukadeva Gosvāmī
vacaḥwords
niśamyahearing
ādṛtamrespectful

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.18
In this verse: “hearing”
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.18
In this verse: “purified”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.18
In this verse: “devotional”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Where do I need a devotional attitude to help purify envy in my own heart?

Practice

When an envious thought arises today, pause and offer a sincere prayer for a more devotional attitude.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBrief, Meaningful Questions Invite Deeper UnderstandingThis 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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