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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 11: Summary Description of the Mahāpuruṣa
12.11.912.11.11-12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.11.10

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.11.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कौस्तुभव्यपदेशेन स्वात्मज्योतिर्बिभर्त्यज: ।

तत्प्रभा व्यापिनी साक्षात् श्रीवत्समुरसा विभु: ॥ १० ॥

kaustubha-vyapadeśena

svātma-jyotir bibharty ajaḥ

tat-prabhā vyāpinī sākṣāt

śrīvatsam urasā vibhuḥ

Translation

Upon His chest the almighty, unborn Personality of Godhead bears the Kaustubha gem, which represents the pure spirit soul, along with the Śrīvatsa mark, which is the direct manifestation of this gem’s expansive effulgence.

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.

The Gem Represents the Pure Spirit Soul

  1. 1

    The almighty, unborn Personality of Godhead bears the Kaustubha gem upon His chest.

  2. 2

    The Kaustubha gem represents the pure spirit soul.

  3. 3

    The Śrīvatsa mark is the direct manifestation of the gem’s expansive effulgence.

How it feels

Wonder → Benediction and peace. The work closes by exalting hearing and remembering the Lord.

Chapters 11–13 of Canto 12: The Mahāpuruṣa and the glories of Bhāgavatam. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Summary Description of the Mahāpuruṣa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then he outlines the process of practical service by which a mortal soul can attain immortality. When Śaunaka shows further interest in learning about the expansion of Lord Hari in the form of the sun-god, Sūta replies that Lord Śrī Hari — the indwelling controller of the universe and its original creator — manifests Himself in the form of the demigod of the sun.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kaustubha-vyapadeśenarepresented by the Kaustubha gem
  2. sva-ātmaof the pure jīva soul
  3. jyotiḥthe spiritual light
  4. bibharticarries
  5. ajaḥthe unborn Lord
  6. tat-prabhāthe effulgence of this (Kaustubha)
  7. vyāpinīexpansive
  8. sākṣātdirectly
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

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 12.11

    In this verse: “spirit soul”

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

What does remembering the Kaustubha gem help me contemplate about the pure spirit soul?

Practice

Recall the Kaustubha gem on the Lord’s chest and repeat its meaning to yourself once.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Gem Represents the Pure Spirit SoulThis 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 12.11.10? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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