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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
12.10.712.10.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.10.8

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

सूत उवाच

इत्युक्त्वा तमुपेयाय भगवान् स सतां गति: ।

ईशान: सर्वविद्यानामीश्वर: सर्वदेहिनाम् ॥ ८ ॥

sūta uvāca

ity uktvā tam upeyāya

bhagavān sa satāṁ gatiḥ

īśānaḥ sarva-vidyānām

īśvaraḥ sarva-dehinām

Translation

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Having spoken thus, Lord Śaṅkara — the shelter of pure souls, master of all spiritual sciences and controller of all embodied living beings — approached the sage.

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.

Lord Śaṅkara Approaches the Sage

  1. 1

    Lord Śaṅkara is described as the shelter of pure souls.

  2. 2

    He is the master of all spiritual sciences and the controller of all embodied living beings.

  3. 3

    Having spoken, he approached the sage.

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:

In this chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes how Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi received benedictions from Lord Śiva. Once, as Lord Śiva was traveling in the sky with his wife, Pārvatī, he came across Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya merged in meditative trance.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.10
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sūtaḥ uvācaSūta Gosvāmī said
  2. itithus
  3. uktvāhaving said
  4. tamto the sage
  5. upeyāyagoing
  6. bhagavānthe exalted demigod
  7. saḥhe
  8. satāmof the pure souls
3

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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 12.10

    In this verse: “shelter”

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

Am I willing to take a practical step toward the company of a saintly person?

Practice

Reach out respectfully to someone whose spiritual guidance you value.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLord Śaṅkara Approaches the SageThis 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 12.10.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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