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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
6.18.33-346.18.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.35

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

तस्मात्पतिव्रता नार्य: श्रेयस्कामा: सुमध्यमे ।

यजन्तेऽनन्यभावेन पतिमात्मानमीश्वरम् ॥ ३५ ॥

tasmāt pati-vratā nāryaḥ

śreyas-kāmāḥ sumadhyame

yajante ’nanya-bhāvena

patim ātmānam īśvaram

Translation

My dear wife, whose body is so beautiful, your waist being thin, a conscientious wife should be chaste and should abide by the orders of her husband. She should very devoutly worship her husband as a representative of Vāsudeva.

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.

Honor the Husband as Vāsudeva’s Representative

  1. 1

    A conscientious wife is instructed to be chaste and abide by her husband’s orders.

  2. 2

    Her worship of her husband should be very devout, not merely outward.

  3. 3

    She should regard her husband as a representative of Vāsudeva, not as Vāsudeva Himself.

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:

Bṛhatśloka’s first son was known as Saubhaga. This is a description of the sons of Aditi.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasmāttherefore
  2. pati-vratāḥdevoted to the husband
  3. nāryaḥwomen
  4. śreyaḥ-kāmāḥconscientious
  5. su-madhyameO thin-waisted woman
  6. yajanteworship
  7. ananya-bhāvenawith devotion
  8. patimthe husband
  9. ātmānamthe Supersoul
  10. īśvaramrepresentative of the Supreme Personality of Godhead
3

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: “worship”

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 seeing someone as Vāsudeva’s representative change the spirit of service?

Practice

Reflect for one minute on the difference between honoring Vāsudeva’s representative and considering that person Vāsudeva Himself.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor the Husband as Vāsudeva’s RepresentativeThis 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 6.18.35? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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