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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.10.29

Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣisince 12.10.28inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

धर्मं ग्राहयितुं प्राय: प्रवक्तारश्च देहिनाम् ।

आचरन्त्यनुमोदन्ते क्रियमाणं स्तुवन्ति च ॥ २९ ॥

dharmaṁ grāhayituṁ prāyaḥ

pravaktāraś ca dehinām

ācaranty anumodante

kriyamāṇaṁ stuvanti ca

Translation

Generally it is to induce embodied souls to accept religious principles that the authorized teachers of religion exhibit ideal behavior while encouraging and praising the proper behavior of others.

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.

Teach Through Example and Encouragement

  1. 1

    Authorized teachers of religion seek to help embodied souls accept religious principles.

  2. 2

    They exhibit ideal behavior themselves, showing the principles they teach through their actions.

  3. 3

    They also encourage and praise the proper behavior of others, helping those people continue.

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:

Mārkaṇḍeya begged for unflinching devotion to the Supreme Lord Śrī Hari, to the devotees of the Supreme Lord and to Lord Śiva himself. Satisfied with Mārkaṇḍeya’s devotion, Lord Śiva awarded him the boons of renown, freedom from old age and death until the time of universal dissolution, knowledge of all three phases of time, renunciation, realized knowledge and the position of a teacher of the Purāṇas.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dharmamreligion
  2. grāhayitumto cause the acceptance of
  3. prāyaḥfor the most part
  4. pravaktāraḥthe authorized speakers
  5. caand
  6. dehināmfor ordinary embodied souls
  7. ācarantithey act
  8. anumodantethey encourage
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 12.10

    In this verse: “religious”, “principles”, “religion”

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 my actions and words encourage others to follow religious principles?

Practice

Offer one sincere word of encouragement to someone making an effort to follow a religious principle.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTeach Through Example and EncouragementThis 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 12.10.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.