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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
12.1.3512.1.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.1.36

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.1.1-2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सौराष्ट्रावन्त्याभीराश्च शूरा अर्बुदमालवा: ।

व्रात्या द्विजा भविष्यन्ति शूद्रप्राया जनाधिपा: ॥ ३६ ॥

saurāṣṭrāvanty-ābhīrāś ca

śūrā arbuda-mālavāḥ

vrātyā dvijā bhaviṣyanti

śūdra-prāyā janādhipāḥ

Translation

At that time the brāhmaṇas of such provinces as Śaurāṣṭra, Avantī, Ābhīra, Śūra, Arbuda and Mālava will forget all their regulative principles, and the members of the royal order in these places will become no better than śūdras.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

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.

Spiritual Standards Must Be Practiced

  1. 1

    The brāhmaṇas in Śaurāṣṭra, Avantī, Ābhīra, Śūra, Arbuda and Mālava will forget all their regulative principles.

  2. 2

    The members of the royal order in these places will become no better than śūdras.

  3. 3

    The decline reaches both the brāhmaṇas and the royal order. Their positions do not prevent the loss of their standards.

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:

After this, different regions will be ruled over at the same time by seven Andhra kings, seven Kauśalas, the kings of Vidūra, and the Niṣadhas. Then the power of rulership in the countries of Magadha and so forth will fall to kings who are no better than śūdras and mlecchas and are totally absorbed in irreligion.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.1
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śaurāṣṭraresiding in Śaurāṣṭra
  2. avantīin Avantī
  3. ābhīrāḥand in Ābhīra
  4. caand
  5. śūrāḥresiding in the Śūra province
  6. arbuda-mālavāḥresiding in Arbuda and Mālava
  7. vrātyāḥdeviated from all purificatory rituals
  8. dvijāḥthe brāhmaṇas
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

  • Dharma · Duty and righteous conduct

    Right action as duty, responsibility and devotion. · Theme in SB 12.1

    In this verse: “principles”

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

Which principle do I acknowledge but sometimes neglect to practice?

Practice

Choose one regulative principle you already follow and observe it carefully today.

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 todaySpiritual Standards Must Be PracticedThis 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 12.1.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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