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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

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 13: The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

12.13.15 12.13.17

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.13.16

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.13.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

निम्नगानां यथा गङ्गा देवानामच्युतो यथा ।

वैष्णवानां यथा शम्भु: पुराणानामिदं तथा ॥ १६ ॥

nimna-gānāṁ yathā gaṅgā

devānām acyuto yathā

vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ

purāṇānām idam tathā

Translation

Just as the Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, Lord Acyuta the supreme among deities and Lord Śambhu [Śiva] the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas, so Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.

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.

Appreciate the Greatest of All Purāṇas

1
The Gaṅgā is the greatest of all rivers, and Lord Acyuta is supreme among deities.
2
Lord Śambhu, Śiva, is the greatest of Vaiṣṇavas.
3
In the same way, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the greatest of all Purāṇas.

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 7.10.65-66

As stated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.13.16): vaiṣṇavānāṁ yathā śambhuḥ: Lord Śiva is the best of the Vaiṣṇavas, the devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa.

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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 13: The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Among all the Purāṇas, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best, and it is the most dear thing to the Vaiṣṇavas. It reveals that spotless, supreme knowledge accessible to the paramahaṁsas, and it also reveals the process by which one can become free from the reactions of material work — a process enriched with knowledge, renunciation and devotion.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.13

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

nimna-gānāmof rivers flowing down to the sea
yathāas
gaṅgāthe Ganges
devānāmof all deities
acyutaḥthe infallible Supreme Personality of Godhead
yathāas
vaiṣṇavānāmof devotees of Lord Viṣṇu
yathāas

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How do these comparisons help me appreciate Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s position?

Practice

Read the verse aloud once, giving attention to each comparison.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAppreciate the Greatest of All PurāṇasThis 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 12.13.16? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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