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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
6.4.206.4.22

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.21

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.4.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत्राघमर्षणं नाम तीर्थं पापहरं परम् ।

उपस्पृश्यानुसवनं तपसातोषयद्धरिम् ॥ २१ ॥

tatrāghamarṣaṇaṁ nāma

tīrthaṁ pāpa-haraṁ param

upaspṛśyānusavanaṁ

tapasātoṣayad dharim

Translation

Near that mountain was a very holy place named Aghamarṣaṇa. There Prajāpati Dakṣa executed ritualistic ceremonies and satisfied the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Hari, by engaging in great austerities to please Him.

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.

Direct Spiritual Effort Toward Pleasing Hari

  1. 1

    Near the mountain was a very holy place named Aghamarṣaṇa.

  2. 2

    Prajāpati Dakṣa performed ritualistic ceremonies and great austerities there.

  3. 3

    His austerities were meant to please Hari, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Through these efforts, he satisfied the Lord.

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. tatrathere
  2. aghamarṣaṇamAghamarṣaṇa
  3. nāmanamed
  4. tīrthamthe holy place
  5. pāpa-haramsuitable for destroying all sinful reactions
  6. parambest
  7. upaspṛśyaperforming ācamana and bathing
  8. anusavanamregularly
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

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

Is pleasing the Supreme Personality of Godhead the purpose of my spiritual effort?

Practice

Before one spiritual practice today, pause and consciously make pleasing Hari your purpose.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDirect Spiritual Effort Toward Pleasing HariThis 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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