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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 8: The Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Shield
6.8.366.8.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.8.37

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Viśvarūpasince 6.8.35inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न कुतश्चिद्भ‍यं तस्य विद्यां धारयतो भवेत् ।

राजदस्युग्रहादिभ्यो व्याध्यादिभ्यश्च कर्हिचित् ॥ ३७ ॥

na kutaścid bhayaṁ tasya

vidyāṁ dhārayato bhavet

rāja-dasyu-grahādibhyo

vyādhy-ādibhyaś ca karhicit

Translation

This prayer, Nārāyaṇa-kavaca, constitutes subtle knowledge transcendentally connected with Nārāyaṇa. One who employs this prayer is never disturbed or put in danger by the government, by plunderers, by evil demons or by any type of disease.

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.

Nārāyaṇa-kavaca Is Transcendental Protective Knowledge

  1. 1

    The prayer Nārāyaṇa-kavaca constitutes subtle knowledge transcendentally connected with Nārāyaṇa.

  2. 2

    The verse states that one who employs this prayer is never disturbed or endangered by the government, plunderers or evil demons.

  3. 3

    Its assurance of protection also includes every type of disease.

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. nanot
  2. kutaścitfrom anywhere
  3. bhayamfear
  4. tasyaof him
  5. vidyāmthis mystical prayer
  6. dhārayataḥemploying
  7. bhavetmay appear
  8. rājafrom the government
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “government”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “danger”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

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 does the prayer’s transcendental connection with Nārāyaṇa shape my understanding of its protection?

Practice

Recite this verse’s translation once, attending to its connection with Nārāyaṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayNārāyaṇa-kavaca Is Transcendental Protective KnowledgeThis 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 6.8.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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