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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 19: Performing the Puṁsavana Ritualistic Ceremony

6.19.10 6.19.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.19.11

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.19.8inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

युवां तु विश्वस्य विभू जगत: कारणं परम् ।

इयं हि प्रकृति: सूक्ष्मा मायाशक्तिर्दुरत्यया ॥ ११ ॥

yuvāṁ tu viśvasya vibhū

jagataḥ kāraṇaṁ param

iyaṁ hi prakṛtiḥ sūkṣmā

māyā-śaktir duratyayā

Translation

My Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī, goddess of fortune, you are the proprietors of the entire creation. Indeed, you are the cause of the creation. Mother Lakṣmī is extremely difficult to understand because she is so powerful that the jurisdiction of her power is difficult to overcome. Mother Lakṣmī is represented in the material world as the external energy, but actually she is always the internal energy of the Lord.

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.

Recognize the Lord and His Energy

1
Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī are the proprietors of the entire creation and its cause.
2
Mother Lakṣmī is extremely difficult to understand. Her power is so great that its jurisdiction is difficult to overcome.
3
In the material world, mother Lakṣmī is represented as the external energy. Actually, she is always the Lord's internal energy.

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 19: Performing the Puṁsavana Ritualistic Ceremony

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then, covering her body with a white dress and being properly ornamented, before breakfast she should worship Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī, the goddess of fortune, Lord Viṣṇu’s wife, by glorifying Lord Viṣṇu for His mercy, patience, prowess, ability, greatness and other glories and for how He can bestow all mystic benedictions.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.19

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yuvāmboth of you
tuindeed
viśvasyaof the universe
vibhūthe proprietors
jagataḥof the universe
kāraṇamthe cause
paramsupreme
iyamthis

Key ideas in this verse

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

Āśraya · The summum bonum
Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.19
In this verse: “material”
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.19
In this verse: “mother”
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.19
In this verse: “understand”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does recognizing Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī as the proprietors affect my sense of ownership?

Practice

Read the opening sentence of this prayer aloud, acknowledging Lord Viṣṇu and mother Lakṣmī as the proprietors of creation.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognize the Lord and His EnergyThis 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 6.19.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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