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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.22

Who is speaking and story frame

अस्तौषीद्धंसगुह्येन भगवन्तमधोक्षजम् ।

तुभ्यं तदभिधास्यामि कस्यातुष्यद्यथा हरि: ॥ २२ ॥

astauṣīd dhaṁsa-guhyena

bhagavantam adhokṣajam

tubhyaṁ tad abhidhāsyāmi

kasyātuṣyad yathā hariḥ

Translation

My dear King, I shall fully explain to you the Haṁsa-guhya prayers, which were offered to the Supreme Personality of Godhead by Dakṣa, and I shall explain how the Lord was pleased with him for those prayers.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
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Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Pleasing the Lord Through Established Prayers

  1. 1

    The Haṁsa-guhya prayers were not composed by Dakṣa. They already existed in the Vedic literature.

  2. 2

    Dakṣa offered these prayers to the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The Lord was pleased with Dakṣa's prayers. The account will explain how he satisfied the Lord.

Key points from the purport
  • It is to be understood that the Haṁsa-guhya prayers were not composed by Dakṣa, but were existing in the Vedic literature.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.4
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Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. astauṣītsatisfied
  2. haṁsa-guhyenaby the celebrated prayers known as Haṁsa-guhya
  3. bhagavantamthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  4. adhokṣajamwho is beyond the reach of the senses
  5. tubhyamunto you
  6. tatthat
  7. abhidhāsyāmiI shall explain
  8. kasyawith Dakṣa, the prajāpati
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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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “king”

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

How might knowing that these prayers come from Vedic literature shape my attention to them?

Practice

Read this translation slowly once, with the wish to understand how Dakṣa pleased the Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPleasing the Lord Through Established PrayersThis 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 6.4.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.