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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

6.18.3-4 6.18.6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.5

Visarga· Brahmā's creation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.18.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

वाल्मीकिश्च महायोगी वल्मीकादभवत्किल ।

अगस्त्यश्च वसिष्ठश्च मित्रावरुणयोऋर्षी ॥ ५ ॥

vālmīkiś ca mahā-yogī

valmīkād abhavat kila

agastyaś ca vasiṣṭhaś ca

mitrā-varuṇayor ṛṣī

Translation

By the semen of Varuṇa, the great mystic Vālmīki took birth from an anthill. Bhṛgu and Vālmīki were specific sons of Varuṇa, whereas Agastya and Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣis were the common sons of Varuṇa and Mitra, the tenth son of Aditi.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Sons of Varuṇa and Mitra

1
The great mystic Vālmīki took birth from an anthill by the semen of Varuṇa.
2
Bhṛgu and Vālmīki were specific sons of Varuṇa.
3
Agastya and Vasiṣṭha Ṛṣis were the common sons of Varuṇa and Mitra. Mitra was the tenth son of Aditi.

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.

vālmīkiḥVālmīki
caand
mahā-yogīthe great mystic
valmīkātfrom an anthill
abhavattook birth
kilaindeed
agastyaḥAgastya
caand

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

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which sons belonged specifically to Varuṇa, and which were shared with Mitra?

Practice

Write the two pairs of sons separately to help remember their parentage.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

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 todayThe Sons of Varuṇa and MitraThis 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 6.18.5? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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