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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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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 12 · Chapter 10: Lord Śiva and Umā Glorify Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi

12.10.9 12.10.11-13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.10.10

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.10.8inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

भगवांस्तदभिज्ञाय गिरिशो योगमायया ।

आविशत्तद्गुहाकाशं वायुश्छिद्रमिवेश्वर: ॥ १० ॥

bhagavāṁs tad abhijñāya

giriśo yoga-māyayā

āviśat tad-guhākāśaṁ

vāyuś chidram iveśvaraḥ

Translation

Understanding the situation very well, the powerful Lord Śiva employed his mystic power to enter within the sky of Mārkaṇḍeya’s heart, just as the wind passes through an opening.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Lord Śiva Enters the Sage’s Heart

1
Lord Śiva understood the sage’s situation very well.
2
Using his mystic power, he entered within the sky of Mārkaṇḍeya’s heart.
3
His entrance is compared to the wind passing through an opening.

How it feels

Terror and bewilderment → Wonder and surrender. Annihilation gives way to a tender divine vision.

Chapters 9–10 of Canto 12: Mārkaṇḍeya witnesses the deluge and divine child. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 10: Lord Śiva and Umā Glorify Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

At the request of Pārvatī, Lord Śiva presented himself before the sage to grant him the result of his austerities. Coming out of his trance, Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya saw Lord Śiva, the spiritual master of the three worlds, together with Pārvatī, and he worshiped them by offering them obeisances, words of greeting and a sitting place.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.10

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

bhagavānthe great personality
tatthat
abhijñāyaunderstanding
giriśaḥLord Giriśa
yoga-māyayāby his mystic power
āviśatentered
tatof Mārkaṇḍeya
guhā-ākāśamthe hidden sky of the heart

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
Jñāna · Spiritual insight
Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 12.10
In this verse: “understanding”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How carefully do I try to understand someone’s situation before approaching them?

Practice

Before beginning one conversation today, pause to notice the other person’s situation.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLord Śiva Enters the Sage’s HeartThis 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 12.10.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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