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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 4: The Haṁsa-guhya Prayers Offered to the Lord by Prajāpati Dakṣa
6.3.356.4.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 6.4.1-2

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The blessed Kingsince 6.4.1-2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीराजोवाच

देवासुरनृणां सर्गो नागानां मृगपक्षिणाम् ।

सामासिकस्त्वया प्रोक्तो यस्तु स्वायम्भुवेऽन्तरे ॥ १ ॥

तस्यैव व्यासमिच्छामि ज्ञातुं ते भगवन् यथा ।

अनुसर्गं यया शक्त्या ससर्ज भगवान् पर: ॥ २ ॥

śrī-rājovāca

devāsura-nṛṇāṁ sargo

nāgānāṁ mṛga-pakṣiṇām

sāmāsikas tvayā prokto

yas tu svāyambhuve ’ntare

tasyaiva vyāsam icchāmi

jñātuṁ te bhagavan yathā

anusargaṁ yayā śaktyā

sasarja bhagavān paraḥ

Translation

The blessed King said to Śukadeva Gosvāmī: My dear lord, the demigods, demons, human beings, Nāgas, beasts and birds were created during the reign of Svāyambhuva Manu. You have spoken about this creation briefly [in the Third Canto]. Now I wish to know about it elaborately. I also wish to know about the potency of the Supreme Personality of Godhead by which He brought about the secondary creation.

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.

Inquire About the Lord’s Creative Potency

  1. 1

    The King respectfully asks Śukadeva Gosvāmī to explain creation in greater detail, having already heard a brief account.

  2. 2

    His inquiry includes the demigods, demons, human beings, Nāgas, beasts and birds created during the reign of Svāyambhuva Manu.

  3. 3

    He also wishes to understand the potency by which the Supreme Personality of Godhead brought about the secondary creation.

How it feels

Anger and conflict → Spiritual commitment. Competing understandings of duty create relational tension.

Chapters 4–6 of Canto 6: Dakṣa, Nārada and the consequences of preaching. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 4: The Haṁsa-guhya Prayers Offered to the Lord by Prajāpati Dakṣa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

After Mahārāja Parīkṣit appealed to Śukadeva Gosvāmī to describe in further detail the creation of the living entities within this universe, Śukadeva Gosvāmī informed him that when the Pracetās, the ten sons of Prācīnabarhi, entered the sea to execute austerities, the planet earth was neglected because of the absence of a king. Naturally many weeds and unnecessary trees grew, and no food grains were produced.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-rājā uvācathe King said
  2. deva-asura-nṛṇāmof the demigods, the demons and the human beings
  3. sargaḥthe creation
  4. nāgānāmof the Nāgas (serpentine living entities)
  5. mṛga-pakṣiṇāmof the beasts and birds
  6. sāmāsikaḥbriefly
  7. tvayāby you
  8. proktaḥdescribed
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “king”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “blessed”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “inquiry”, “understand”

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 would you like to understand more deeply about the Lord’s creative potency?

Practice

Write one respectful question about the Lord’s creation that you would like to study further.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayInquire About the Lord’s Creative PotencyThis 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 6.4.1-2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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