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 1 · Creation · 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 1 · Chapter 12: Birth of Emperor Parīkṣit
1.12.251.12.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.26

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The learned brāhmaṇassince 1.12.19inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

राजर्षीणां जनयिता शास्ता चोत्पथगामिनाम् ।

निग्रहीता कलेरेष भुवो धर्मस्य कारणात् ॥ २६ ॥

rājarṣīṇāṁ janayitā

śāstā cotpatha-gāminām

nigrahītā kaler eṣa

bhuvo dharmasya kāraṇāt

Translation

This child will be the father of kings who will be like sages. For world peace and for the sake of religion, he will be the chastiser of the upstarts and the quarrelsome.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Devotional Wisdom Supports Peace and Morality

  1. 1

    The wisest person is a devotee of the Lord. Rulers should become wiser through devotion so that they can properly guide and protect others.

  2. 2

    Parīkṣit would be the father of kings like sages and would restrain quarrelsome elements for peace and religion. The cow is described as an emblem of peace and religion.

  3. 3

    The purport identifies wine, illicit sexual connections, gambling and slaughterhouses as sources of quarrel. Peace and morality cannot prosper while these causes are encouraged.

Key points from the purport
  • As will be clear in the chapters ahead, Mahārāja Parīkṣit wanted to kill the personified Kali, who was attempting to kill a cow, the emblem of peace and religion.
  • Wise rulers of all states should take lessons from Mahārāja Parīkṣit in how to maintain peace and morality by subduing the upstarts and quarrelsome people who indulge in wine, illicit connection with women, gambling and meat-eating supplied by regularly maintained slaughterhouses.
  • Peace and morality can prosper only by the principles of Mahārāja Parīkṣit and his followers.

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

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

Further reading

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
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. rāja-ṛṣīṇāmof kings as good as sages
  2. janayitāproducer
  3. śāstāchastiser
  4. caand
  5. utpatha-gāmināmof the upstarts
  6. nigrahītāmolester
  7. kaleḥof the quarrelsome
  8. eṣaḥthis
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “father”, “child”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “kings”, “rulers”

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 1.12

    In this verse: “religion”

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

Do my choices support peace and morality, or encourage the causes of quarrel described here?

Practice

Choose one meal today without meat, remembering the purport’s concern for peace and protection.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayDevotional Wisdom Supports Peace and MoralityThis 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 1.12.26? 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