Srimad Bhagavatam — Shashtha Skandha, Shloka 17
Parīkṣit’s Inquiry into Vṛtrāsura’s Bhakti and the Beginning of Citraketu’s Trial
अङ्गिरा उवाच अपि तेऽनामयं स्वस्ति प्रकृतीनां तथात्मन: । यथा प्रकृतिभिर्गुप्त: पुमान् राजा च सप्तभि: ॥ १७ ॥
aṅgirā uvāca api te ’nāmayaṁ svasti prakṛtīnāṁ tathātmanaḥ yathā prakṛtibhir guptaḥ pumān rājā ca saptabhiḥ
The great sage Aṅgirā said: “O King, are your body and mind well, and are your royal associates and resources in good order? When the seven principles of material nature—mahat, false ego, and the five sense objects—are properly arranged, the embodied soul is at ease. In the same way, a king is protected by seven supports: his guru, his ministers, his realm, his fort, his treasury, his power of law and punishment, and his friends.”
As it is quoted by Śrīdhara Svāmī in his Bhāgavatam commentary:
FAQs
This verse shows Vedic well-being as multi-layered—freedom from disease plus auspiciousness for one’s bodily constituents and also the inner self (mind/ātman), not merely physical health.
Aṅgirā approaches Citraketu during his distress and begins with a traditional, dharmic inquiry into his welfare—probing both outer health and inner condition—before guiding him spiritually.
Assess life in a balanced way: care for the body, stabilize the mind, and nurture the spiritual self—because real protection and stability come from harmony across all three.