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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 6 · Chapter 3: Yamarāja Instructs His Messengers
6.3.14-156.3.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.3.16

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Yamarājasince 6.3.12inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitYamarāja → the Yamadūtas

यं वै न गोभिर्मनसासुभिर्वा

हृदा गिरा वासुभृतो विचक्षते ।

आत्मानमन्तर्हृदि सन्तमात्मनां

चक्षुर्यथैवाकृतयस्तत: परम् ॥ १६ ॥

yaṁ vai na gobhir manasāsubhir vā

hṛdā girā vāsu-bhṛto vicakṣate

ātmānam antar-hṛdi santam ātmanāṁ

cakṣur yathaivākṛtayas tataḥ param

Translation

As the different limbs of the body cannot see the eyes, the living entities cannot see the Supreme Lord, who is situated as the Supersoul in everyone’s heart. Not by the senses, by the mind, by the life air, by thoughts within the heart, or by the vibration of words can the living entities ascertain the real situation of the Supreme Lord.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supersoul Directs Us From Within

  1. 1

    The eyes direct the body’s limbs, although the limbs cannot see the eyes. Similarly, the Supersoul directs each living being from within the heart.

  2. 2

    The Lord gives remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness. The living entity cannot do anything without the Supersoul’s sanction.

  3. 3

    The Supersoul acts at every moment, yet His form and activities cannot be understood by manipulating the senses. Our inability to see Him does not remove our need for His direction.

Key points from the purport
  • Similarly, every living being acts according to the direction of the Supersoul, who is situated within the heart.
  • Elsewhere in Bhagavad-gītā it is stated, īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati: “The Supreme Lord, as the Supersoul, is situated within the heart.”
  • Although one cannot see the Supersoul in one’s heart through sensual activities, His direction is necessary.

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 6.3.16 quotesBG 15.15

As the Lord Himself confirms in Bhagavad-gītā (15.15), sarvasya cāhaṁ hṛdi sanniviṣṭo mattaḥ smṛtir jñānam apohanaṁ ca: “I am sitting in everyone’s heart and giving directions for remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness.”

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

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 3: Yamarāja Instructs His Messengers

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Lord, the master of the illusory energy, possesses transcendental qualities for the good fortune of everyone, and His devotees are also qualified in that way. The devotees, concerned only with rescuing the fallen souls from this material world, apparently take birth in different places in the material world just to save the conditioned souls.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yamwhom
  2. vaiindeed
  3. nanot
  4. gobhiḥby the senses
  5. manasāby the mind
  6. asubhiḥby the life breath
  7. vāor
  8. hṛdāby thoughts
3

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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.3

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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

What does my dependence on the Supersoul teach me about my supposed independence?

Practice

Before beginning one task today, pause and remember your dependence on the Supreme Lord within your heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Śrīla Prabhupāda speaks

His recorded lectures on this verse, and the talks where he quotes it.

1 lecture given on it · quoted in 1 more lecture. Recordings and transcripts on prabhupada.io.

Quoted in 1 other lecture

In each of these he quotes this verse while speaking on another verse or subject. "Find the quote" opens the transcript at that spot.

Live this todayThe Supersoul Directs Us From WithinThis 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.

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