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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
6.4.456.4.47

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.46

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The Supreme Personality of Godheadsince 6.4.43inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तपो मे हृदयं ब्रह्मंस्तनुर्विद्या क्रियाकृति: ।

अङ्गानि क्रतवो जाता धर्म आत्मासव: सुरा: ॥ ४६ ॥

tapo me hṛdayaṁ brahmaṁs

tanur vidyā kriyākṛtiḥ

aṅgāni kratavo jātā

dharma ātmāsavaḥ surāḥ

Translation

My dear brāhmaṇa, austerity in the form of meditation is My heart, Vedic knowledge in the form of hymns and mantras constitutes My body, and spiritual activities and ecstatic emotions are My actual form. The ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices, when properly conducted, are the various limbs of My body, the unseen good fortune proceeding from pious or spiritual activities constitutes My mind, and the demigods who execute My orders in various departments are My life and soul.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize the Lord Through His Energies

  1. 1

    The Lord describes austerity, Vedic knowledge and spiritual activities as aspects of His body. This description offers a way to recognize His impersonal feature.

  2. 2

    Tapasya, or denial of material activities, is the first principle of spiritual life. Spiritual activities include studying Vedic knowledge, meditating upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

  3. 3

    Material nature works under the Supreme Lord’s direction. The demigods deserve respect as those who carry out His orders in the various departments of the world.

Key points from the purport
  • Then there are spiritual activities, such as the performance of Vedic ritualistic sacrifices, study of the Vedic knowledge, meditation upon the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and chanting of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.
  • If one is unable to see the Supreme Lord although He is present as Kṛṣṇa in His various incarnations, one may see the Supreme Lord’s impersonal feature, according to the direction of the Vedas, by seeing the activities of material nature.
  • The various demigods are all acting under the protection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and according to their various actions the demigods are differently named.

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· 2

The purport of SB 6.4.46 quotesBG 9.10

As the Lord says in Bhagavad-gītā (9.10): “This material nature is working under My direction, O son of Kuntī, and it is producing all moving and nonmoving beings.

The purport of SB 6.4.46 quotesSB 6.1.40

Anything done under the direction of the Vedic injunctions is called dharma, as described by the order carriers of Yamarāja: “That which is prescribed in the Vedas constitutes dharma, the religious principles, and the opposite of that is irreligion.

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:

When that Supreme Godhead becomes the aim of one’s life, one is said to have attained spiritual knowledge. “The Supreme Brahman is the cause of all causes because He originally existed before the creation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tapaḥausterities like mental control, mystic yoga and meditation
  2. meMy
  3. hṛdayamheart
  4. brahmanO brāhmaṇa
  5. tanuḥthe body
  6. vidyāthe knowledge derived from Vedic scripture
  7. kriyāspiritual activities
  8. ākṛtiḥform
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Prema · Transcendental love

    The intimacy and sweetness of devotion to Kṛṣṇa. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “ecstatic”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “material”

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 my spiritual practice help me recognize the Lord’s presence and direction?

Practice

Set aside a few minutes today to chant the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra attentively.

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.

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

Live this todayRecognize the Lord Through His EnergiesThis 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 6.4.46? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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