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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

1.12.7 1.12.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 1.12.8

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

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

अङ्गुष्ठमात्रममलं स्फुरत्पुरटमौलिनम् ।

अपीव्यदर्शनं श्यामं तडिद्वाससमच्युतम् ॥ ८ ॥

aṅguṣṭha-mātram amalaṁ

sphurat-puraṭa-maulinam

apīvya-darśanaṁ śyāmaṁ

taḍid vāsasam acyutam

Translation

He [the Lord] was only thumb high, but He was all transcendental. He had a very beautiful, blackish, infallible body, and He wore a dress of lightning yellow and a helmet of blazing gold. Thus He was seen by the child.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Lord’s Small Form Is Transcendental

1
The child saw the Lord in a form only thumb high. Yet that form was entirely transcendental.
2
The Lord’s body was very beautiful, blackish and infallible. His small size did not make Him an ordinary being.
3
He wore a dress of lightning yellow and a helmet of blazing gold. These are the details of the Lord’s appearance seen by the child.

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.

aṅguṣṭhaby the measure of a thumb
mātramonly
amalamtranscendental
sphuratblazing
puraṭagold
maulinamhelmet
apīvyavery beautiful
darśanamto look at

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 1.12
In this verse: “child”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which detail of the Lord’s transcendental appearance helps me remember Him attentively?

Practice

Spend one minute recalling the Lord’s form exactly as described here: thumb high, blackish, dressed in lightning yellow and crowned with blazing gold.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Small Form Is TranscendentalThis 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 1.12.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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