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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 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield
6.8.216.8.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.8.22

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Viśvarūpasince 6.8.4-6inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीवत्सधामापररात्र ईश:

प्रत्यूष ईशोऽसिधरो जनार्दन: ।

दामोदरोऽव्यादनुसन्ध्यं प्रभाते

विश्वेश्वरो भगवान् कालमूर्ति: ॥ २२ ॥

śrīvatsa-dhāmāpara-rātra īśaḥ

pratyūṣa īśo ’si-dharo janārdanaḥ

dāmodaro ’vyād anusandhyaṁ prabhāte

viśveśvaro bhagavān kāla-mūrtiḥ

Translation

May the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who bears the Śrīvatsa on His chest, protect me after midnight until the sky becomes pinkish. May Lord Janārdana, who carries a sword in His hand, protect me at the end of night [during the last four ghaṭikās of night]. May Lord Dāmodara protect me in the early morning, and may Lord Viśveśvara protect me during the junctions of day and night.

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.

Seek Shelter at Night and Dawn

  1. 1

    The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who bears the Śrīvatsa on His chest, is asked to protect after midnight until the sky becomes pinkish.

  2. 2

    Lord Janārdana, carrying a sword, is asked to protect at the end of night.

  3. 3

    Lord Dāmodara is asked to protect in the early morning. Lord Viśveśvara is asked to protect during the junctions of day and night.

How it feels

Offense and dread → Moral reckoning. Heroic power does not guarantee inner freedom.

Chapters 7–10 of Canto 6: Indra, Bṛhaspati and the emergence of Vṛtrāsura. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One should think of Madhusūdana, Tridhāmā, Mādhava, Hṛṣīkeśa, Padmanābha, Janārdana, Dāmodara and Viśveśvara, as well as the Supreme Personality of Godhead Kṛṣṇa Himself. After offering prayers to the Lord’s personal expansions known as the svāṁśa and śaktyāveśa-avatāras, one should pray to the weapons of Lord Nārāyaṇa, such as the Sudarśana, gadā, śaṅkha, khaḍga and bow.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrīvatsa-dhāmāthe Lord, on whose chest the mark of Śrīvatsa is resting
  2. apara-rātrein the fourth part of the night
  3. īśaḥthe Supreme Lord
  4. pratyūṣein the end of the night
  5. īśaḥthe Supreme Lord
  6. asi-dharaḥcarrying a sword in the hand
  7. janārdanaḥLord Janārdana
  8. dāmodaraḥLord Dāmodara
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “protect”

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 dawn or dusk become a moment of prayer for me?

Practice

At the next junction of day and night, briefly ask Lord Viśveśvara for protection.

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 6.8's connections

Live this todaySeek Shelter at Night and DawnThis 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 6.8.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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