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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
6.4.1-26.4.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.3

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 6.4.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीसूत उवाच

इति सम्प्रश्नमाकर्ण्य राजर्षेर्बादरायणि: ।

प्रतिनन्द्य महायोगी जगाद मुनिसत्तमा: ॥ ३ ॥

śrī-sūta uvāca

iti sampraśnam ākarṇya

rājarṣer bādarāyaṇiḥ

pratinandya mahā-yogī

jagāda muni-sattamāḥ

Translation

Sūta Gosvāmī said: O great sages [assembled at Naimiṣāraṇya], after the great yogi Śukadeva Gosvāmī heard King Parīkṣit’s inquiry, he praised it and thus replied.

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.

Welcome Thoughtful Spiritual Questions

  1. 1

    Sūta Gosvāmī recounts this exchange to the great sages assembled at Naimiṣāraṇya.

  2. 2

    The great yogi Śukadeva Gosvāmī hears King Parīkṣit’s inquiry and praises it.

  3. 3

    After welcoming the inquiry, Śukadeva Gosvāmī replies. The exchange shows attentive hearing and appreciation for sincere questions.

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-sūtaḥ uvācaSūta Gosvāmī said
  2. itithus
  3. sampraśnamthe inquiry
  4. ākarṇyahearing
  5. rājarṣeḥof King Parīkṣit
  6. bādarāyaṇiḥŚukadeva Gosvāmī
  7. pratinandyapraising
  8. mahā-yogīthe great yogī
  9. jagādareplied
  10. muni-sattamāḥO best of the sages
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “inquiry”

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 can you become more attentive and respectful when someone asks a spiritual question?

Practice

Listen fully to someone’s sincere question today before offering a response.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWelcome Thoughtful Spiritual QuestionsThis 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 6.4.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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