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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
6.4.166.4.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.17

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.4.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तेभ्यस्तस्यां समभवद् दक्ष: प्राचेतस: किल ।

यस्य प्रजाविसर्गेण लोका आपूरितास्त्रय: ॥ १७ ॥

tebhyas tasyāṁ samabhavad

dakṣaḥ prācetasaḥ kila

yasya prajā-visargeṇa

lokā āpūritās trayaḥ

Translation

In the womb of that girl the Pracetās all begot a son named Dakṣa, who filled the three worlds with living entities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Dakṣa Creates Again by Supreme Will

  1. 1

    The Pracetās begot Dakṣa in the womb of Māriṣā. Through his descendants, the three worlds became filled with living entities.

  2. 2

    In his earlier life, Dakṣa offended Lord Śiva and was punished with a goat’s head in place of his own. He later gave up that body and was born again in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara.

  3. 3

    Inspired by the supreme will, the same Dakṣa again created the desired living entities. He regained his previous opulence and begot thousands and millions of children.

Key points from the purport
  • Dakṣa was first born during the reign of Svāyambhuva Manu, but because of offending Lord Śiva he was punished by having the head of a goat substituted for his own head.
  • Thus insulted, he had to give up that body, and in the sixth manvantara, called the Cākṣuṣa manvantara, he was born of the womb of Māriṣā as Dakṣa.
  • In this connection Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura quotes this verse:

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 6.4.17 quotesSB 4.30.49

“His previous body had been destroyed, but he, the same Dakṣa, inspired by the supreme will, created all the desired living entities in the Cākṣuṣa manvantara.”

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

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:

“The Supreme Personality of Godhead, the Supersoul, Lord Hari, is the controller of both the living entities and the material nature. He is self-sufficient and self-effulgent.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tebhyaḥfrom all the Pracetās
  2. tasyāmin her
  3. samabhavatwas generated
  4. dakṣaḥDakṣa, the expert in begetting children
  5. prācetasaḥthe son of the Pracetās
  6. kilaindeed
  7. yasyaof whom
  8. prajā-visargeṇaby the generation of living entities
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “gave up”

  • Dainya · Humility

    Ego yields to insight, service and surrender. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “offended”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “children”

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 Dakṣa’s punishment teach me about the seriousness of giving offense?

Practice

Before speaking about someone today, check your words for disrespect and remove any insulting language.

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 4.30.49

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 6.4's connections

Live this todayDakṣa Creates Again by Supreme WillThis 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 6.4.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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