1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 12 · The Age of Deterioration · 13 chapters

12345678910111213

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
12.11.2112.11.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.11.22

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.11.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

स विश्वस्तैजस: प्राज्ञस्तुरीय इति वृत्तिभि: ।

अर्थेन्द्रियाशयज्ञानैर्भगवान् परिभाव्यते ॥ २२ ॥

sa viśvas taijasaḥ prājñas

turīya iti vṛttibhiḥ

arthendriyāśaya-jñānair

bhagavān paribhāvyate

Translation

One can conceive of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in terms of awakened consciousness, sleep and deep sleep — which function respectively through external objects, the mind and material intelligence — and also in terms of the fourth, transcendental level of consciousness, which is characterized by pure knowledge.

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.

Pure Knowledge Marks Transcendental Consciousness

  1. 1

    One can conceive of the Supreme Personality of Godhead in terms of awakened consciousness, which functions through external objects.

  2. 2

    Sleep and deep sleep function through the mind and material intelligence, respectively. These also provide ways of conceiving of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

  3. 3

    The fourth level of consciousness is transcendental and characterized by pure knowledge.

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:

Śrī Sūta first tells Śaunaka Ṛṣi about the material objects through which one can understand the major limbs, the secondary limbs, the weapons and the garments of Lord Śrī Hari. Then he outlines the process of practical service by which a mortal soul can attain immortality.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥHe
  2. viśvaḥ taijasaḥ prājñaḥthe manifestations of waking consciousness, sleep and deep sleep
  3. turīyaḥthe fourth, transcendental stage
  4. itithus termed
  5. vṛttibhiḥby the functions
  6. arthaby the external objects of perception
  7. indriyathe mind
  8. āśayacovered consciousness
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

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

    In this verse: “knowledge”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.11

    In this verse: “material”

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 distinguishes the fourth level of consciousness from the other three?

Practice

Write down the four levels described here, noting what each functions through or is characterized by.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayPure Knowledge Marks Transcendental ConsciousnessThis 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 12.11.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories