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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 10: Lord Śiva and Umā Glorify Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi
12.10.2412.10.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.10.25

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Lord Śivasince 12.10.19inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

श्रवणाद् दर्शनाद् वापि महापातकिनोऽपि व: ।

शुध्येरन्नन्त्यजाश्चापि किमु सम्भाषणादिभि: ॥ २५ ॥

śravaṇād darśanād vāpi

mahā-pātakino ’pi vaḥ

śudhyerann antya-jāś cāpi

kim u sambhāṣaṇādibhiḥ

Translation

Even the worst sinners and social outcastes are purified just by hearing about or seeing personalities like you. Imagine, then, how purified they become by directly speaking with you.

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.

Saintly Association Purifies

  1. 1

    Hearing about saintly personalities like Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi can purify even those who have committed the worst sins.

  2. 2

    Simply seeing such personalities also brings purification. Even social outcastes are included in this blessing.

  3. 3

    Lord Śiva emphasizes how much greater the purification is when one speaks directly with such a personality.

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

Further reading

Chapter 10: Lord Śiva and Umā Glorify Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then Lord Śiva praised the saintly devotees of the Personality of Godhead and requested Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya to choose whatever benediction he desired. Mārkaṇḍeya begged for unflinching devotion to the Supreme Lord Śrī Hari, to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and to Lord Śiva himself.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śravaṇātby hearing about
  2. darśanātby seeing
  3. vāor
  4. apialso
  5. mahā-pātakinaḥthose who commit the worst kinds of sins
  6. apieven
  7. vaḥyou
  8. śudhyeranthey become purified
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 12.10

    In this verse: “purified”, “purify”, “sins”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 12.10

    In this verse: “hearing”

  • Kṛpā · Divine mercy

    Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 12.10

    In this verse: “blessing”

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 appreciate the opportunity to hear about and speak with saintly people?

Practice

Spend a few minutes today attentively rereading the account of Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todaySaintly Association PurifiesThis 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 12.10.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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