1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 6 · Prescribed Duties for Mankind · 19 chapters

12345678910111213141516171819

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 9: Appearance of the Demon Vṛtrāsura
6.8.426.9.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 6.9.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 6.9.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीशुक उवाच

तस्यासन् विश्वरूपस्य शिरांसि त्रीणि भारत ।

सोमपीथं सुरापीथमन्नादमिति शुश्रुम ॥ १ ॥

śrī-śuka uvāca

tasyāsan viśvarūpasya

śirāṁsi trīṇi bhārata

soma-pīthaṁ surā-pītham

annādam iti śuśruma

Translation

Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī continued: Viśvarūpa, who was engaged as the priest of the demigods, had three heads. He used one to drink the beverage soma-rasa, another to drink wine and the third to eat food. O King Parīkṣit, thus I have heard from authorities.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Hear Vedic Knowledge From Authorities

  1. 1

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī describes Viśvarūpa’s three heads on the authority of what he has heard, not from personal observation.

  2. 2

    Direct experience cannot teach us what lies beyond the range of human perception. The purport therefore stresses hearing from authorities.

  3. 3

    Vedic knowledge is called śruti because it is received by hearing from authorities. This is the Vedic system of receiving knowledge.

Key points from the purport
  • One cannot directly perceive the kingdom of heaven, its king and other inhabitants, or how they perform their various engagements, for no one can go to the heavenly planets.
  • Therefore Śukadeva Gosvāmī, a great personality, says, “What I am describing to you, O King, is what I have heard from authoritative sources.”
  • The Vedic knowledge is called śruti because it must be received by being heard from authorities.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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 9: Appearance of the Demon Vṛtrāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

As described in this chapter, Indra, the King of heaven, killed Viśvarūpa, and therefore Viśvarūpa’s father performed a yajña to kill Indra. When Vṛtrāsura appeared from that yajña, the demigods, in fear, sought shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and glorified Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 6.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śukaḥ uvācaŚrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī said
  2. tasyaof him
  3. āsanthere were
  4. viśvarūpasyaof Viśvarūpa, the priest of the demigods
  5. śirāṁsiheads
  6. trīṇithree
  7. bhārataO Mahārāja Parīkṣit
  8. soma-pīthamused for drinking the beverage soma
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 6.9

    In this verse: “heard”, “hearing”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 6.9

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 6.9

    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 willing am I to learn through authoritative hearing rather than relying only on personal experience?

Practice

Read the translation aloud once, noticing Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s acknowledgment of his sources.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear Vedic Knowledge From AuthoritiesThis 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 6.9.1? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories