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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

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.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

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

6.18.69 6.18.71

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.70

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

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

एक: सङ्कल्पित: पुत्र: सप्त सप्ताभवन् कथम् ।

यदि ते विदितं पुत्र सत्यं कथय मा मृषा ॥ ७० ॥

ekaḥ saṅkalpitaḥ putraḥ

sapta saptābhavan katham

yadi te viditaṁ putra

satyaṁ kathaya mā mṛṣā

Translation

I prayed for only one son, but now I see that there are forty-nine. How has this happened? My dear son Indra, if you know, please tell me the truth. Do not try to speak lies.

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.

Ask for the Truth

1
Diti had prayed for only one son, but she now saw forty-nine.
2
She asked Indra how this had happened, inviting him to explain if he knew.
3
Diti specifically asked him to tell the truth and not speak lies.

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:

Thus he entered her womb and cut her son into forty-nine parts. In this way the forty-nine kinds of air known as the Maruts appeared, but because Diti had performed the Vaiṣṇava ritualistic ceremonies, all the sons became Vaiṣṇavas.

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