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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
6.18.326.18.35

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 6.18.33-34

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Kaśyapa Munisince 6.18.32inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पतिरेव हि नारीणां दैवतं परमं स्मृतम् ।

मानस: सर्वभूतानां वासुदेव: श्रिय: पति: ॥ ३३ ॥

स एव देवतालिङ्गैर्नामरूपविकल्पितै: ।

इज्यते भगवान् पुम्भि: स्त्रीभिश्च पतिरूपधृक् ॥ ३४ ॥

patir eva hi nārīṇāṁ

daivataṁ paramaṁ smṛtam

mānasaḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ

vāsudevaḥ śriyaḥ patiḥ

sa eva devatā-liṅgair

nāma-rūpa-vikalpitaiḥ

ijyate bhagavān pumbhiḥ

strībhiś ca pati-rūpa-dhṛk

Translation

A husband is the supreme demigod for a woman. The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Vāsudeva, the husband of the goddess of fortune, is situated in everyone’s heart and is worshiped through the various names and forms of the demigods by fruitive workers. Similarly, a husband represents the Lord as the object of worship for a woman.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Cooperate for Advancement in Kṛṣṇa Consciousness

  1. 1

    Lord Vāsudeva, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, is situated in everyone’s heart. The demigods are His assistants, acting like His hands and legs.

  2. 2

    The text presents the husband as a representative of the Lord for his wife’s worship. The purport explains that such representative worship is recommended while attachment to material sense gratification remains strong.

  3. 3

    When husband and wife cooperate for advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, their relationship is very effective for spiritual progress. The goal is devotional service to Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, rather than material satisfaction.

Key points from the purport
  • The demigods are various assistants who act like the hands and legs of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
  • One who is not in direct touch with the Supreme Lord and cannot conceive of the exalted position of the Lord is sometimes advised to worship the demigods as various parts of the Lord.
  • As long as one is very much attached to material sense gratification, the worship of the demigods or the worship of one’s husband is recommended.

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 6.18.33-34 quotesBG 9.23

The Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.23): “Whatever a man may sacrifice to other gods, O son of Kuntī, is really meant for Me alone, but it is offered without true understanding.”

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:

By His own powers, the Supreme Personality of Godhead appeared as Vāmanadeva. From His wife, whose name was Kīrti, appeared a son named Bṛhatśloka.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. patiḥthe husband
  2. evaindeed
  3. hicertainly
  4. nārīṇāmof women
  5. daivatamdemigod
  6. paramamsupreme
  7. smṛtamis considered
  8. mānasaḥsituated in the heart
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Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “worshiped”, “devotional service”, “worship”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “attachment”, “sense gratification”, “material”

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

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Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can my closest relationships support advancement in Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Chant the name of Kṛṣṇa today, and, if possible, invite your spouse to join you.

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 todayCooperate for Advancement in Kṛṣṇa ConsciousnessThis 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 6.18.33-34? Get an answer from the verses themselves.