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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
6.18.296.18.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.30

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.18.23inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विलोक्यैकान्तभूतानि भूतान्यादौ प्रजापति: ।

स्त्रियं चक्रे स्वदेहार्धं यया पुंसां मतिर्हृता ॥ ३० ॥

vilokyaikānta-bhūtāni

bhūtāny ādau prajāpatiḥ

striyaṁ cakre sva-dehārdhaṁ

yayā puṁsāṁ matir hṛtā

Translation

In the beginning of creation, Lord Brahmā, the father of the living entities of the universe, saw that all the living entities were unattached. To increase population, he then created woman from the better half of man’s body, for woman’s behavior carries away a man’s mind.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Strong Senses Can Overcome Learning

  1. 1

    Lord Brahmā created sexual attraction to increase the population. The purport describes the entire universe as moving under its spell.

  2. 2

    Attraction between man and woman forms a hard knot that becomes increasingly tight, implicating a person in materialistic life.

  3. 3

    Even Kaśyapa Muni, though learned and advanced in spiritual knowledge, came under this illusion. The purport therefore stresses avoiding secluded company that strengthens sexual desire.

Key points from the purport
  • This entire universe is going on under the spell of sexual attachment, which was created by Lord Brahmā to increase the population of the entire universe, not only in human society but also in other species.
  • When a man remains in a solitary place with a woman, his sexual desires undoubtedly increase.
  • Sexual desire is so powerful that one is saturated with it if he stays in a solitary place with any woman, even his mother, sister or daughter.

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

The purport of SB 6.18.30 quotesSB 9.19.17

As stated in the Manu-saṁhitā (2.215) and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (9.19.17): “A man should not associate with a woman in a solitary place, not even with his mother, sister or daughter, for the senses are so strong that they lead astray even a person advanced in knowledge.”

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

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. vilokyaseeing
  2. ekānta-bhūtānidetached
  3. bhūtānithe living entities
  4. ādauin the beginning
  5. prajāpatiḥLord Brahmā
  6. striyamthe woman
  7. cakrecreated
  8. sva-dehaof his body
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “illusion”, “materialistic”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “father”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

Do I rely on knowledge alone while remaining in situations that strengthen desire?

Practice

Avoid one situation today that you know unnecessarily strengthens sexual desire.

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.

The purport quotesSB 9.19.17

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

Live this todayStrong Senses Can Overcome LearningThis 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 6.18.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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