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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 18: Diti Vows to Kill King Indra
6.18.706.18.72

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.18.71

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Indrasince 6.18.71inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

इन्द्र उवाच

अम्ब तेऽहं व्यवसितमुपधार्यागतोऽन्तिकम् ।

लब्धान्तरोऽच्छिदं गर्भमर्थबुद्धिर्न धर्मद‍ृक् ॥ ७१ ॥

indra uvāca

amba te ’haṁ vyavasitam

upadhāryāgato ’ntikam

labdhāntaro ’cchidaṁ garbham

artha-buddhir na dharma-dṛk

Translation

Indra replied: My dear mother, because I was grossly blinded by selfish interests, I lost sight of religion. When I understood that you were observing a great vow in spiritual life, I wanted to find some fault in you. When I found such a fault, I entered your womb and cut the embryo to pieces.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Worship Fosters Truthfulness

  1. 1

    Indra admitted that selfish interests had blinded him and made him lose sight of religion. He had sought a fault in Diti and then cut her embryo to pieces.

  2. 2

    Diti and Indra freely explained their intentions instead of remaining enemies. The purport identifies this truthfulness as a qualification resulting from contact with Viṣṇu.

  3. 3

    When one develops a devotional attitude and becomes purified by worshiping the Supreme Lord, all good qualities manifest. Both Diti and Indra were purified through the influence of worship of Viṣṇu.

Key points from the purport
  • When Diti, Indra’s aunt, explained to Indra without reservations what she had wanted to do, Indra explained his intentions to her.
  • Thus both of them, instead of being enemies, freely spoke the truth.
  • Because of being touched by worship of Viṣṇu, both Diti and Indra were purified.

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 6.18.71 quotesSB 5.18.12

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (5.18.12): If one develops a devotional attitude and becomes purified by worshiping the Supreme Lord, all the good qualities are certainly manifested in his body.

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:

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.18
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. indraḥ uvācaIndra said
  2. ambaO mother
  3. teyour
  4. ahamI
  5. vyavasitamvow
  6. upadhāryaunderstanding
  7. āgataḥcame
  8. antikamnearby
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “religion”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “devotional”, “worshiping”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.18

    In this verse: “mother”

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

Where might selfish interest be keeping me from honestly admitting my intentions?

Practice

In one conversation today, acknowledge your own mistake or selfish motive without making excuses.

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.

The purport quotesSB 5.18.12

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.18's connections

Live this todayDevotional Worship Fosters TruthfulnessThis 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 6.18.71? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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