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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
6.18.246.18.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.25

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.18.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कृमिविड्भस्मसंज्ञासीद्यस्येशाभिहितस्य च ।

भूतध्रुक् तत्कृते स्वार्थं किं वेद निरयो यत: ॥ २५ ॥

kṛmi-viḍ-bhasma-saṁjñāsīd

yasyeśābhihitasya ca

bhūta-dhruk tat-kṛte svārthaṁ

kiṁ veda nirayo yataḥ

Translation

When dead, the bodies of all the rulers known as kings and great leaders will be transformed into worms, stool or ashes. If one enviously kills others for the protection of such a body, does he actually know the true interest of life? Certainly he does not, for if one is envious of other entities, he surely goes to hell.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Body Cannot Last

  1. 1

    Even the body of a great king ultimately becomes stool, worms or ashes.

  2. 2

    Being too attached to the bodily conception of life is not a sign of intelligence.

  3. 3

    Someone who enviously kills others to protect this temporary body does not know life’s true interest. The translation warns that envy of other living entities leads to hell.

Key points from the purport
  • The material body, even if possessed by a great king, is ultimately transformed into stool, worms or ashes.
  • When one is too attached to the bodily conception of life, he is certainly not very intelligent.

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

Further reading

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kṛmiworms
  2. viṭstool
  3. bhasmaashes
  4. saṁjñāname
  5. āsītbecomes
  6. yasyaof which (body)
  7. īśa-abhihitasyaalthough designated as king
  8. caalso
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “kings”, “rulers”, “king”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “protection”, “protect”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “attached”

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 remembering the body’s temporary nature change the way I treat others?

Practice

When protecting your own comfort today, pause to make sure you are not harming someone else.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Body Cannot LastThis 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 6.18.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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