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Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

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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.

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Canto 6 · Chapter 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra

6.18.68 6.18.70

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.69

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Thereafter, Ditisince 6.18.69inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अथेन्द्रमाह ताताहमादित्यानां भयावहम् ।

अपत्यमिच्छन्त्यचरं व्रतमेतत्सुदुष्करम् ॥ ६९ ॥

athendram āha tātāham

ādityānāṁ bhayāvaham

apatyam icchanty acaraṁ

vratam etat suduṣkaram

Translation

Thereafter, Diti said to Indra: My dear son, I adhered to this difficult vow just to get a son to kill you twelve Ādityas.

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.

Diti Acknowledges Her Harmful Aim

1
Diti spoke directly to Indra, addressing him as her dear son.
2
She explained that she had followed a very difficult vow to obtain a son.
3
Her stated purpose was for that son to kill Indra and the twelve Ādityas. The difficulty of her vow did not change its harmful aim.

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:

When, however, she requested a son who would kill Indra, he condemned himself, and he advised his wife Diti to follow the Vaiṣṇava ritualistic ceremonies to purify herself. When Diti, following the instructions of Kaśyapa, engaged in devotional service, Indra could understand her purpose, and he began observing all her activities.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.18