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Study a Verse

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

12.11.29 12.11.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.11.30

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.11.29inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

एक एव हि लोकानां सूर्य आत्मादिकृद्धरि: ।

सर्ववेदक्रियामूलमृषिभिर्बहुधोदित: ॥ ३० ॥

eka eva hi lokānāṁ

sūrya ātmādi-kṛd dhariḥ

sarva-veda-kriyā-mūlam

ṛṣibhir bahudhoditaḥ

Translation

The sun-god, being nondifferent from Lord Hari, is the one soul of all the worlds and their original creator. He is the source of all the ritualistic activities prescribed in the Vedas and has been given many names by the Vedic sages.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Recognize Lord Hari as the Source

1
The sun-god is described as nondifferent from Lord Hari.
2
He is the one soul of all the worlds and their original creator.
3
He is the source of the ritualistic activities prescribed in the Vedas, and the Vedic sages give Him many names.

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

Chapter 11: Summary Description of the Mahāpuruṣa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. Sages describe this sun-god in many features according to his different material designations.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.11