FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 6.1.6

अधुनेह महाभाग यथैव नरकान्नर: । नानोग्रयातनान्नेयात्तन्मे व्याख्यातुमर्हसि ॥ ६ ॥
adhuneha mahā-bhāga
[adhuneha mahaa-bhaaga]
yathaiva narakān naraḥ
[yathaiva narakaan narah]
nānogra-yātanān neyāt
[naanogra-yaatanaan neyaat]
tan me vyākhyātum arhasi
[tan me vyaakhyaatum arhasi]
adhunā — right now iha — in this material world mahā-bhāga — O greatly opulent and fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī yathā — so that eva — indeed narakān — all the hellish conditions into which the impious are put naraḥ — human beings nānā — varieties of ugra — terrible yātanān — conditions of suffering na īyāt — may not undergo tat — that me — to me vyākhyātum arhasi — please describe.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
adhuneha mahā-bhāga
adhunā
right now
iha
in this material world
mahā-bhāga
O greatly opulent and fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī
yathaiva narakān naraḥ
yathā
so that
nānogra-yātanān neyāt
tan me vyākhyātum arhasi
eva
indeed
narakān
all the hellish conditions into which the impious are put
naraḥ
human beings
nānā
varieties of
ugra
terrible
yātanān
conditions of suffering
na īyāt
may not undergo
tat
that
me
to me
vyākhyātum arhasi
please describe.
O greatly fortunate and opulent Śukadeva Gosvāmī, now kindly tell me how human beings may be saved from having to enter hellish conditions in which they suffer terrible pains.

In the Twenty-sixth Chapter of the Fifth Canto, Śukadeva Gosvāmī has explained that people who commit sinful acts are forced to enter hellish planets and suffer. Now Mahārāja Parīkṣit, being a devotee, is concerned with how this can be stopped. A Vaiṣṇava is para-duḥkha-duḥkhī; in other words, he has no personal troubles, but he is very unhappy to see others in trouble. Prahlāda Mahārāja said, “My Lord, I have no personal problems, for I have learned how to glorify Your transcendental qualities and thus enter a trance of ecstasy. I do have a problem, however, for I am simply thinking of these rascals and fools who are busy with māyā-sukha, temporary happiness, without knowledge of devotional service unto You.” This is the problem faced by a Vaiṣṇava. Because a Vaiṣṇava fully takes shelter of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, he personally has no problems, but because he is compassionate toward the fallen, conditioned souls, he is always thinking of plans to save them from their hellish life in this body and the next. Parīkṣit Mahārāja, therefore, anxiously wanted to know from Śukadeva Gosvāmī how humanity can be saved from gliding down to hell. Śukadeva Gosvāmī had already explained how people enter hellish life, and he could also explain how they could be saved from it. Intelligent men must take advantage of these instructions. Unfortunately, however, the entire world is lacking Kṛṣṇa consciousness, and therefore people are suffering from the grossest ignorance and do not even believe in a life after this one. To convince them of their next life is very difficult because they have become almost mad in their pursuit of material enjoyment. Nevertheless, our duty, the duty of all sane men, is to save them. Mahārāja Parīkṣit is the representative of one who can save them.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
O greatly fortunate Śukadeva Gosvāmī! Now kindly tell me how human beings may be saved from the terrible pains of hellish. Please explain how a person can avoid going to these hells which have terrible pain. Just as the means of attaining fortunate and unfortunate results should be known, the means of extinguishing the unfortunate results should be known.
Parīkṣit asks the question of a true devotee: not 'how do I escape hell?' but 'how can humanity be saved from it?' A Vaiṣṇava feels others' pain as his own and lives to relieve it.
Reflection Questions
  • Whose suffering today weighs on me enough to act on, even slightly?
  • Am I praying mostly for my own deliverance, or also for those around me still entangled?
📝 My note

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