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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
6.8.1-26.8.4-6

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.8.3

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.8.3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीबादरायणिरुवाच

वृत: पुरोहितस्त्वाष्ट्रो महेन्द्रायानुपृच्छते ।

नारायणाख्यं वर्माह तदिहैकमना: श‍ृणु ॥ ३ ॥

śrī-bādarāyaṇir uvāca

vṛtaḥ purohitas tvāṣṭro

mahendrāyānupṛcchate

nārāyaṇākhyaṁ varmāha

tad ihaika-manāḥ śṛṇu

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said: King Indra, the leader of the demigods, inquired about the armor known as Nārāyaṇa-kavaca from Viśvarūpa, who was engaged by the demigods as their priest. Please hear Viśvarūpa’s reply with great attention.

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.

Hear Spiritual Instruction With Great Attention

  1. 1

    King Indra, the leader of the demigods, asked Viśvarūpa about the armor called Nārāyaṇa-kavaca.

  2. 2

    The demigods had engaged Viśvarūpa as their priest.

  3. 3

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī asks King Parīkṣit to hear Viśvarūpa’s reply with great attention.

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:

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. After explaining this process, Śukadeva Gosvāmī told Mahārāja Parīkṣit how Viśvarūpa, the brother of Vṛtrāsura, described the glories of the Nārāyaṇa-kavaca to Indra.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-bādarāyaṇiḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. vṛtaḥthe chosen
  3. purohitaḥpriest
  4. tvāṣṭraḥthe son of Tvaṣṭā
  5. mahendrāyaunto King Indra
  6. anupṛcchateafter he (Indra) inquired
  7. nārāyaṇa-ākhyamnamed Nārāyaṇa-kavaca
  8. varmadefensive armor made of a mantra
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “inquired”

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

What helps you give your full attention when hearing spiritual instruction?

Practice

Set aside one distraction and read this translation slowly, with full attention.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Spiritual Instruction With Great AttentionThis 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 6.8.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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