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

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 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 8 · Chapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship
8.16.58.16.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.16.6

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.16.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अपि वातिथयोऽभ्येत्य कुटुम्बासक्तया त्वया ।

गृहादपूजिता याता: प्रत्युत्थानेन वा क्‍वचित् ॥ ६ ॥

api vātithayo ’bhyetya

kuṭumbāsaktayā tvayā

gṛhād apūjitā yātāḥ

pratyutthānena vā kvacit

Translation

I wonder whether because of being too attached to the members of your family, you failed to properly receive uninvited guests, who therefore were not welcomed and went away.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Welcome Guests Beyond Your Family Circle

  1. 1

    A householder should properly receive guests, even if a guest is an enemy.

  2. 2

    One should stand up, offer a seat and receive a guest according to one’s means. At least a seat and a glass of water should be offered.

  3. 3

    An atithi is someone who comes without an invitation. Kaśyapa Muni asked whether attachment to family had led Aditi to neglect such guests.

Key points from the purport
  • It is the duty of a householder to receive guests, even if a guest be an enemy.
  • When a guest comes to one’s home, one should properly receive him by standing up and offering him a seat.
  • It is enjoined, gṛhe śatrum api prāptaṁ viśvastam akutobhayam: if even an enemy comes to one’s home, one should receive him in such a way that the guest will forget that his host is an enemy.

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

Loss and hope → Revelation. A shift in fortune sets up a spiritual test.

Chapters 15–18 of Canto 8: Bali, Aditi and Vāmana's appearance. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 16: Executing the Payo-vrata Process of Worship

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The great sage therefore inquired from his wife about the well-being of the āśrama and asked her why she looked so morose. After Aditi informed Kaśyapa Muni about the āśrama’s well-being, she told him that she was lamenting for the absence of her sons.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. apiwhether
  2. vāeither
  3. atithayaḥguests who come without an invitation
  4. abhyetyacoming to the home
  5. kuṭumba-āsaktayāwho were too attached to the family members
  6. tvayāby you
  7. gṛhātfrom the house
  8. apūjitāḥwithout being properly welcomed
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 8.16

    In this verse: “attached”, “attachment”, “householder”

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

Does my attention to my family sometimes leave others feeling unwelcome?

Practice

Prepare a clean seat and drinking water so you can readily welcome a visitor.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWelcome Guests Beyond Your Family CircleThis 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 8.16.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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