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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 5: Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa
6.5.146.5.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.5.15

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.5.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तत्सङ्गभ्रंशितैश्वर्यं संसरन्तं कुभार्यवत् ।

तद्गतीरबुधस्येह किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥ १५ ॥

tat-saṅga-bhraṁśitaiśvaryaṁ

saṁsarantaṁ kubhāryavat

tad-gatīr abudhasyeha

kim asat-karmabhir bhavet

Translation

[Nārada Muni had also spoken of a man who is the husband of the prostitute. The Haryaśvas understood this as follows.] If one becomes the husband of a prostitute, he loses all independence. Similarly, if a living entity has polluted intelligence, he prolongs his materialistic life. Frustrated by material nature, he must follow the movements of the intelligence, which brings various conditions of happiness and distress. If one performs fruitive activities under such conditions, what will be the benefit?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Purify Intelligence Rather Than Follow Its Dictations

  1. 1

    Polluted intelligence takes away the living entity’s independence and prolongs material life. Following its dictations brings varieties of so-called happiness and distress.

  2. 2

    Those who are serious are guided by one kind of intelligence: intelligence in Kṛṣṇa consciousness. Those who lack this steadiness pursue many different material ways of life.

  3. 3

    The living entity thinks himself the master, although material nature acts under the Supreme Person’s direction. Temporary activities do not solve the real problem of accepting various material bodies.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus involved in material activities, he is exposed to the different modes of material nature and subjected to varieties of so-called happiness and distress.
  • If a man becomes the husband of a prostitute, he cannot be happy, and similarly one who follows the dictations of material intelligence and material consciousness will never be happy.
  • One must judiciously understand the activities of material nature.

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· 3

The purport of SB 6.5.15 quotesBG 2.41

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (2.41), vyavasāyātmikā buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana: those who are actually serious are conducted by one kind of intelligence, namely, intelligence in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

The purport of SB 6.5.15 quotesBG 3.27

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (3.27): “The bewildered spirit soul, under the influence of the three modes of material nature, thinks himself to be the doer of activities, which are in actuality carried out by nature.”

The purport of SB 6.5.15 quotesBG 13.22

As stated in Bhagavad-gītā (13.22): “The living entity in material nature thus follows the ways of life, enjoying the three modes of nature.

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 5: Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The Haryaśvas began practicing austerities, penances and meditation, which are the engagements of the highly exalted renounced order of life. However, when Śrīla Nārada Muni saw these boys engaged in such commendable austerities simply for material creation, he thought it better to release them from this tendency.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tat-saṅgaby association with the prostitute of intelligence
  2. bhraṁśitataken away
  3. aiśvaryamthe opulence of independence
  4. saṁsarantamundergoing the material way of life
  5. ku-bhārya-vatexactly like a person who has a polluted wife
  6. tat-gatīḥthe movements of the polluted intelligence
  7. abudhasyaof one who does not know
  8. ihain this world
  9. kim asat-karmabhiḥ bhavetwhat can be the benefit of performing temporary fruitive activities
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 6.5

    In this verse: “materialistic”, “material”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 6.5

    In this verse: “distress”

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

Where do I mistake following material desires for being independent?

Practice

Before one decision today, pause and ask whether it follows material desire or intelligence fixed in Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPurify Intelligence Rather Than Follow Its DictationsThis 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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