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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 2: Ajāmila Delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas
6.2.286.2.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.2.29

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Ajāmilasince 6.2.26inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सोऽहं व्यक्तं पतिष्यामि नरके भृशदारुणे ।

धर्मघ्ना: कामिनो यत्र विन्दन्ति यमयातना: ॥ २९ ॥

so ’haṁ vyaktaṁ patiṣyāmi

narake bhṛśa-dāruṇe

dharma-ghnāḥ kāmino yatra

vindanti yama-yātanāḥ

Translation

It is now clear that as a consequence of such activities, a sinful person like me must be thrown into hellish conditions meant for those who have broken religious principles and must there suffer extreme miseries.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Consequences of Sinful Actions

  1. 1

    Ajāmila recognized that his sinful activities had serious consequences.

  2. 2

    He understood that hellish conditions await those who break religious principles.

  3. 3

    He feared the extreme miseries of those conditions and applied this warning to his own conduct.

How it feels

Guilt and mortal terror → Mercy and renewed devotion. The holy name opens a path beyond an apparently hopeless death.

Chapters 1–3 of Canto 6: Ajāmila and the Viṣṇudūtas. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: Ajāmila Delivered by the Viṣṇudūtas

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In summary, although the sinful Ajāmila meant to call his son, the holy name of Lord Nārāyaṇa, even though chanted in the preliminary stage, nāmābhāsa, was able to give him liberation. Therefore one who chants the holy name of the Lord with faith and devotion is certainly exalted.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥsuch a person
  2. ahamI
  3. vyaktamit is now clear
  4. patiṣyāmiwill fall down
  5. narakein hell
  6. bhṛśa-dāruṇemost miserable
  7. dharma-ghnāḥthey who break the principles of religion
  8. kāminaḥwho are too lusty
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 6.2

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.2

    In this verse: “sinful”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.2

    In this verse: “feared”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I honestly considering the consequences of my own actions?

Practice

Pause before one choice today and consider whether it respects or breaks religious principles.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRecognize the Consequences of Sinful ActionsThis 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 6.2.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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