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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.
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Canto 6 · Chapter 5: Nārada Muni Cursed by Prajāpati Dakṣa
6.5.16.5.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.5.2

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.5.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अपृथग्धर्मशीलास्ते सर्वे दाक्षायणा नृप ।

पित्रा प्रोक्ता: प्रजासर्गे प्रतीचीं प्रययुर्दिशम् ॥ २ ॥

apṛthag-dharma-śīlās te

sarve dākṣāyaṇā nṛpa

pitrā proktāḥ prajā-sarge

pratīcīṁ prayayur diśam

Translation

My dear King, all the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa were alike in being very gentle and obedient to the orders of their father. When their father ordered them to beget children, they all went in the western direction.

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.

Gentleness and Obedience

  1. 1

    All the sons of Prajāpati Dakṣa were alike in being very gentle.

  2. 2

    They were obedient to their father’s orders. He instructed them to beget children.

  3. 3

    In response to his instruction, they all went in the western direction.

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:

Ordered by their father to create more and more population, the Haryaśvas went west to the place where the river Sindhu (now the Indus) meets the Arabian Sea. In those days this was the site of a holy lake named Nārāyaṇa-saras, where there were many saintly persons.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. apṛthakalike in
  2. dharma-śīlāḥgood character and behavior
  3. tethey
  4. sarveall
  5. dākṣāyaṇāḥthe sons of Dakṣa
  6. nṛpaO King
  7. pitrāby their father
  8. proktāḥordered
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 6.5

    In this verse: “father”, “children”, “father’s”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.5

    In this verse: “king”

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 I bring more gentleness to the way I respond to others?

Practice

Respond gently in one conversation today, especially when receiving an instruction.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayGentleness and ObedienceThis 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 6.5.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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