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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
6.4.66.4.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.4.7

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.4.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न द्रुमेभ्यो महाभागा दीनेभ्यो द्रोग्धुमर्हथ ।

विवर्धयिषवो यूयं प्रजानां पतय: स्मृता: ॥ ७ ॥

na drumebhyo mahā-bhāgā

dīnebhyo drogdhum arhatha

vivardhayiṣavo yūyaṁ

prajānāṁ patayaḥ smṛtāḥ

Translation

O greatly fortunate ones, you should not kill these poor trees by burning them to ashes. Your duty is to wish the citizens [prajās] all prosperity and to act as their protectors.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Protection Extends to All Living Entities

  1. 1

    Soma asks the Pracetās not to burn the poor trees to ashes.

  2. 2

    A ruler’s duty is to wish the citizens prosperity and act as their protector. This protection includes animals, trees and plants, not only human beings.

  3. 3

    The purport states that no living entity should be killed unnecessarily.

Key points from the purport
  • It is indicated herein that the government or king has the duty of protecting not only the human beings, but all other living entities, including animals, trees and plants.

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:

Thus the Pracetās created wind and fire to burn the trees to ashes. Soma, however, the king of the moon and the king of all vegetation, forbade the Pracetās to destroy the trees, since the trees are the source of fruit and flowers for all living beings.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. drumebhyaḥthe trees
  3. mahā-bhāgāḥO greatly fortunate ones
  4. dīnebhyaḥwho are very poor
  5. drogdhumto burn to ashes
  6. arhathayou deserve
  7. vivardhayiṣavaḥdesiring to bring about an increase
  8. yūyamyou
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “citizens”, “ruler’s”

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “protectors”, “protector”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 6.4

    In this verse: “duty”

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

Does your sense of responsibility include the animals and plants around you?

Practice

Avoid one unnecessary act of harm to an animal or plant today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayProtection Extends to All Living EntitiesThis 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 6.4.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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