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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

12.11.6-8 12.11.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.11.9

Sthāna· The universe in order

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.11.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यावानयं वै पुरुषो यावत्या संस्थया मित: ।

तावानसावपि महापुरुषो लोकसंस्थया ॥ ९ ॥

yāvān ayaṁ vai puruṣo

yāvatyā saṁsthayā mitaḥ

tāvān asāv api mahā-

puruṣo loka-saṁsthayā

Translation

Just as one can determine the dimensions of an ordinary person of this world by measuring his various limbs, one can determine the dimensions of the Mahāpuruṣa by measuring the arrangement of the planetary systems within His universal form.

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.

Contemplate the Dimensions of the Universal Form

1
The dimensions of an ordinary person can be determined by measuring the person’s various limbs.
2
The verse uses this comparison to explain the dimensions of the Mahāpuruṣa’s universal form.
3
The arrangement of the planetary systems within that form provides its measure.

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:

In the context of worship, this chapter describes the Mahāpuruṣa and the various expansions of the sun in each month. 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.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yāvānto which extent
ayamthis
vaiindeed
puruṣaḥordinary individual person
yāvatyāextending to which dimensions
saṁsthayāby the position of his limbs
mitaḥmeasured
tāvānto that extent

Key ideas in this verse

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

Sthāna · Planetary systems
How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the comparison with a person’s limbs help me understand this description?

Practice

Pause for a minute to contemplate the planetary systems arranged within the Lord’s universal form.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayContemplate the Dimensions of the Universal FormThis 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.

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