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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 5: Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa
6.5.186.5.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.5.19

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.5.10inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

कालचक्रं भ्रमि तीक्ष्णं सर्वं निष्कर्षयज्जगत् ।

स्वतन्त्रमबुधस्येह किमसत्कर्मभिर्भवेत् ॥ १९ ॥

kāla-cakraṁ bhrami tīkṣṇaṁ

sarvaṁ niṣkarṣayaj jagat

svatantram abudhasyeha

kim asat-karmabhir bhavet

Translation

[Nārada Muni had spoken of a physical object made of sharp blades and thunderbolts. The Haryaśvas understood this allegory as follows.] Eternal time moves very sharply, as if made of razors and thunderbolts. Uninterrupted and fully independent, it drives the activities of the entire world. If one does not try to study the eternal element of time, what benefit can he derive from performing temporary material activities?

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Use Irreplaceable Time for Spiritual Realization

  1. 1

    Eternal time moves uninterruptedly and drives the activities of the entire world. Like a sharp razor, it calls for careful handling of one’s lifetime.

  2. 2

    Even a moment of life cannot be bought back with millions of dollars. Wasting time without understanding life’s goal is therefore a great loss.

  3. 3

    One’s present life span is not the whole of existence; time is eternal. One should carefully use this lifetime for spiritual realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

Key points from the purport
  • Therefore one should consider how much loss one suffers if he wastes even a moment of his life for nothing.
  • Time is eternal, and in the material world one passes through different phases of his eternal life.
  • One should be extremely careful to utilize the span of his life for spiritual realization, or Kṛṣṇa consciousness.

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 5: Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Nārada Muni described to the boys their ultimate goal of life and advised them not to become ordinary karmīs to beget children.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāla-cakramthe wheel of eternal time
  2. bhramirevolving automatically
  3. tīkṣṇamvery sharp
  4. sarvamall
  5. niṣkarṣayatdriving
  6. jagatthe world
  7. sva-tantramindependent, not caring for the so-called scientists and philosophers
  8. abudhasyaof one who does not know (this principle of time)
  9. ihain this material world
  10. kim asat-karmabhiḥ bhavetwhat is the use of engaging in temporary fruitive activities
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.5

    In this verse: “understanding”

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 would remembering that no moment returns change the way I use today?

Practice

Reserve ten minutes today for studying Kṛṣṇa consciousness instead of an activity that merely wastes time.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUse Irreplaceable Time for Spiritual RealizationThis 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 6.5.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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