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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Texts 6.8.4-6

Who is speaking and story frame

श्रीविश्‍वरूप उवाच

धौताङ्‌घ्रिपाणिराचम्य सपवित्र उदङ्‍मुख: ।

कृतस्वाङ्गकरन्यासो मन्त्राभ्यां वाग्यत: शुचि: ॥ ४ ॥

नारायणपरं वर्म सन्नह्येद् भय आगते ।

पादयोर्जानुनोरूर्वोरुदरे हृद्यथोरसि ॥ ५ ॥

मुखे शिरस्यानुपूर्व्यादोंङ्कारादीनि विन्यसेत् ।

ॐ नमो नारायणायेति विपर्ययमथापि वा ॥ ६ ॥

śrī-viśvarūpa uvāca

dhautāṅghri-pāṇir ācamya

sapavitra udaṅ-mukhaḥ

kṛta-svāṅga-kara-nyāso

mantrābhyāṁ vāg-yataḥ śuciḥ

nārāyaṇa-paraṁ varma

sannahyed bhaya āgate

pādayor jānunor ūrvor

udare hṛdy athorasi

mukhe śirasy ānupūrvyād

oṁkārādīni vinyaset

oṁ namo nārāyaṇāyeti

viparyayam athāpi vā

Translation

Viśvarūpa said: If some form of fear arrives, one should first wash his hands and legs clean and then perform ācamana by chanting this mantra: om apavitraḥ pavitro vā sarvāvasthāṁ gato ’pi vā/ yaḥ smaret puṇḍarīkākṣaṁ sa bahyābhyantaraḥ śuciḥ/ śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu śrī-viṣṇu. Then one should touch kuśa grass and sit gravely and silently, facing north. When completely purified, one should touch the mantra composed of eight syllables to the eight parts of his body and touch the mantra composed of twelve syllables to his hands. Thus, in the following manner, he should bind himself with the Nārāyaṇa coat of armor. First, while chanting the mantra composed of eight syllables [oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya], beginning with the praṇava, the syllable om, one should touch his hands to eight parts of his body, starting with the two feet and progressing systematically to the knees, thighs, abdomen, heart, chest, mouth and head. Then one should chant the mantra in reverse, beginning from the last syllable [ya], while touching the parts of his body in the reverse order. These two processes are known as utpatti-nyāsa and saṁhāra-nyāsa respectively.

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.

Prepare With Cleanliness and Careful Chanting

  1. 1

    When fear arrives, Viśvarūpa instructs one to wash the hands and legs and perform ācamana with the prescribed mantra.

  2. 2

    One should then touch kuśa grass and sit gravely and silently, facing north. Purification precedes putting on the Nārāyaṇa coat of armor.

  3. 3

    While chanting oṁ namo nārāyaṇāya, one touches eight parts of the body in order, then reverses both the syllables and the order. These processes are called utpatti-nyāsa and saṁhāra-nyāsa.

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:

To take protection from this shield, one must first touch kuśa grass and wash one’s mouth with ācamana-mantras. One should observe silence and then place the eight-syllable Viṣṇu mantra on the parts of his body and place the twelve-syllable mantra on his hands.
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-viśvarūpaḥ uvācaŚrī Viśvarūpa said
  2. dhautahaving completely washed
  3. aṅghrifeet
  4. pāṇiḥhands
  5. ācamyaperforming ācamana (sipping a little water three times after chanting the prescribed mantra)
  6. sa-pavitraḥwearing rings made of kuśa grass (on the ring finger of each hand)
  7. udak-mukhaḥsitting facing the north
  8. kṛtamaking
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

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “purified”, “purification”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.8

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “fear”

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 could cleanliness and quiet attention help you approach chanting more carefully?

Practice

Wash your hands and feet, then sit quietly and read the prescribed preparation once with care.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPrepare With Cleanliness and Careful ChantingThis 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 6.8.4-6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.