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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

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

6.4.18 6.4.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.19

Visarga· Brahmā's creation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.4.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

मनसैवासृजत्पूर्वं प्रजापतिरिमा: प्रजा: ।

देवासुरमनुष्यादीन्नभ:स्थलजलौकस: ॥ १९ ॥

manasaivāsṛjat pūrvaṁ

prajāpatir imāḥ prajāḥ

devāsura-manuṣyādīn

nabhaḥ-sthala-jalaukasaḥ

Translation

With his mind, Prajāpati Dakṣa first created all kinds of demigods, demons, human beings, birds, beasts, aquatics and so on.

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.

Dakṣa’s First Creation Through the Mind

1
Prajāpati Dakṣa first created different kinds of living entities through his mind.
2
His creation included demigods, demons, and human beings.
3
He also created birds, beasts, aquatics, and other kinds of living entities.

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

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

In the beginning, Dakṣa created all the demigods, demons and human beings, but when he found the population not increasing properly, he took sannyāsa and went to Vindhya Mountain, where be underwent severe austerities and offered Lord Viṣṇu a particular prayer known as Haṁsa-guhya, by which Lord Viṣṇu became very pleased with him. The contents of the prayer were as follows.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 6.4

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

manasāby the mind
evaindeed
asṛjatcreated
pūrvamin the beginning
prajāpatiḥthe prajāpati (Dakṣa)
imāḥthese
prajāḥliving entities
devathe demigods

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

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which kinds of living entities do I tend to overlook when considering the variety of life?

Practice

Write down the kinds of living entities named in this translation and reread the list attentively.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDakṣa’s First Creation Through the MindThis 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 6.4.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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