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

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Canto 1 · Creation · 19 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 1 · Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit

1.12.11 1.12.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.12

Visarga· Brahmā's creation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 1.12.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तत: सर्वगुणोदर्के सानुकूलग्रहोदये ।

जज्ञे वंशधर: पाण्डोर्भूय: पाण्डुरिवौजसा ॥ १२ ॥

tataḥ sarva-guṇodarke

sānukūla-grahodaye

jajñe vaṁśa-dharaḥ pāṇḍor

bhūyaḥ pāṇḍur ivaujasā

Translation

Thereupon, when all the good signs of the zodiac gradually evolved, the heir apparent of Pāṇḍu, who would be exactly like him in prowess, took birth.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Act for the Lord Beyond Binding Reactions

1
Living beings are controlled by the subtle laws of material nature, and their actions produce binding reactions. Those who act on behalf of Yajña, or Viṣṇu, are not bound by those reactions.
2
Mahārāja Parīkṣit was both a great emperor and a great devotee. His auspicious birth was arranged by the superior management of the Supreme Lord, not by human will.
3
Pious acts and purificatory processes help create favorable conditions for a good and intelligent population. Such a population supports peace and prosperity.

Key points from the purport

Mahārāja Parīkṣit or even the Personality of Godhead appear in certain constellations of good stars, and thus the influence is exerted upon the body thus born at an auspicious moment.
As a proper place and time is selected to receive a respectable personage, so also to receive such a personality as Mahārāja Parīkṣit, who was especially cared for by the Supreme Lord, a suitable moment is chosen when all good stars assembled together to exert their influence upon the King.
Of course, the arrangement is made according to the good or bad deeds of the living being.

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

Connected verses· 1

The purport of SB 1.12.12 quotesBG 3.9

As stated in the Bhagavad-gītā (3.9), every action of life produces another reaction, which is binding upon us, and only those who are acting on behalf of Yajña (Viṣṇu) are not bound by reactions.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

How it feels

Longing → Joy and continuity. Departure and welcome coexist; Parīkṣit embodies continuity of grace.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 1: Kṛṣṇa returns to Dvārakā; Parīkṣit is born. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit

Parīkṣit’s protection in the womb is recalled, and learned brāhmaṇas predict his qualities at birth.

Back to this verse in chapter 1.12

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tataḥthereupon
sarvaall
guṇagood signs
udarkehaving gradually evolved
sa-anukūlaall favorable
grahodayeconstellation of stellar influence
jajñetook birth
vaṁśa-dharaḥheir apparent

Key ideas in this verse

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

Visarga · Subcreation
How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 1.12
In this verse: “material”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 1.12
In this verse: “devotee”
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.12
In this verse: “emperor”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Am I doing my work only for its rewards, or can I act on behalf of the Lord?

Practice

Choose one task today and consciously do it as service to the Lord rather than only for your own reward.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAct for the Lord Beyond Binding ReactionsThis 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 1.12.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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