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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

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

12.11.2-3 12.11.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.11.4

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

सूत उवाच

नमस्कृत्य गुरून् वक्ष्ये विभूतीर्वैष्णवीरपि ।

या: प्रोक्ता वेदतन्त्राभ्यामाचार्यै: पद्मजादिभि: ॥ ४ ॥

sūta uvāca

namaskṛtya gurūn vakṣye

vibhūtīr vaiṣṇavīr api

yāḥ proktā veda-tantrābhyām

ācāryaiḥ padmajādibhiḥ

Translation

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Offering obeisances to my spiritual masters, I shall repeat to you the description of the opulences of Lord Viṣṇu given in the Vedas and tantras by great authorities, beginning from lotus-born Brahmā.

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.

Honor Teachers and Repeat Authoritative Teachings

1
Sūta Gosvāmī begins by offering obeisances to his spiritual masters.
2
He will repeat the description of Lord Viṣṇu’s opulences found in the Vedas and tantras.
3
These descriptions come from great authorities, beginning with lotus-born Brahmā.

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:

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.11