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

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Canto 12 · The Age of Deterioration · 13 chapters

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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 12 · Chapter 1: The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga
12.1.1912.1.21-26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.1.20

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.1.1-2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

हत्वा काण्वं सुशर्माणं तद् भृत्यो वृषलो बली ।

गां भोक्ष्यत्यन्ध्रजातीय: कञ्चित् कालमसत्तम: ॥ २० ॥

hatvā kāṇvaṁ suśarmāṇaṁ

tad-bhṛtyo vṛṣalo balī

gāṁ bhokṣyaty andhra-jātīyaḥ

kañcit kālam asattamaḥ

Translation

The last of the Kāṇvas, Suśarmā, will be murdered by his own servant, Balī, a low-class śūdra of the Andhra race. This most degraded Mahārāja Balī will have control over the earth for some time.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Power Does Not Establish Good Character

  1. 1

    Suśarmā, the last Kāṇva king, will be murdered by his own servant, Balī.

  2. 2

    Balī will control the earth for some time. The purport calls this so-called king a most impious, uncultured man.

  3. 3

    The purport presents this as a further description of how uncultured men infiltrated government administration.

Key points from the purport
  • Here is a further description of how uncultured men infiltrated government administration.
  • The so-called king named Balī is described as asattama, a most impious, uncultured man.

The purport'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

Civilizational dread → Dispassion. Social and cosmic impermanence expose the limits of worldly plans.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 12: The deterioration of Kali and universal dissolution. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 1: The Degraded Dynasties of Kali-yuga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The First Chapter of this canto briefly describes the future kings of the dynasty of Magadha and how they become degraded because of the influence of the Age of Kali. There were twenty kings who ruled in the family of Pūru, in the dynasty of the sun-god, counting from Uparicara Vasu to Purañjaya.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. hatvākilling
  2. kāṇvamthe Kāṇva king
  3. suśarmāṇamnamed Suśarmā
  4. tat-bhṛtyaḥhis own servant
  5. vṛṣalaḥa low-class śūdra
  6. balīnamed Balī
  7. gāmthe earth
  8. bhokṣyatiwill rule
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.1

    In this verse: “king”, “government”, “administration”

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 I mistake a position of authority for evidence of good character?

Practice

Reread Balī’s description and distinguish his position as ruler from his conduct.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 12.1's connections

Live this todayPower Does Not Establish Good CharacterThis 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 12.1.20? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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