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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
  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 13: The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam
12.13.1812.13.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.13.19

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.13.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

कस्मै येन विभासितोऽयमतुलो ज्ञानप्रदीप: पुरा

तद्रूपेण च नारदाय मुनये कृष्णाय तद्रूपिणा ।

योगीन्द्राय तदात्मनाथ भगवद्राताय कारुण्यत-

स्तच्छुद्धं विमलं विशोकममृतं सत्यं परं धीमहि ॥ १९ ॥

kasmai yena vibhāsito ’yam atulo jñāna-pradīpaḥ purā

tad-rūpeṇa ca nāradāya munaye kṛṣṇāya tad-rūpiṇā

yogīndrāya tad-ātmanātha bhagavad-rātāya kāruṇyatas

tac chuddhaṁ vimalaṁ viśokam amṛtaṁ satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi

Translation

I meditate upon that pure and spotless Supreme Absolute Truth, who is free from suffering and death and who in the beginning personally revealed this incomparable torchlight of knowledge to Brahmā. Brahmā then spoke it to the sage Nārada, who narrated it to Kṛṣṇa-dvaipāyana Vyāsa. Śrīla Vyāsa revealed this Bhāgavatam to the greatest of sages, Śukadeva Gosvāmī, and Śukadeva mercifully spoke it to Mahārāja Parīkṣit.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Kṛṣṇa Speaks Through His Pure Representatives

  1. 1

    The Bhāgavatam begins and concludes with meditation upon the Supreme Truth. That Truth is pure, spotless and free from suffering and death.

  2. 2

    Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself originally spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Brahmā. He continued speaking through Nārada Muni, Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other great sages.

  3. 3

    When pure devotees speak Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, Kṛṣṇa speaks through them. Submissive hearing from His bona fide devotees frees one from the conditioned state and prepares one to meditate upon and serve Him.

Key points from the purport
  • The first verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam states, satyaṁ paraṁ dhīmahi — “I meditate upon the Supreme Truth” — and now at the conclusion of this magnificent transcendental literature, the same auspicious sounds are vibrated.
  • The words tad-rūpeṇa, tad-rūpiṇā and tad-ātmanā in this verse clearly indicate that Lord Kṛṣṇa Himself originally spoke Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam to Brahmā and then continued to speak this literature through the agency of Nārada Muni, Dvaipāyana Vyāsa, Śukadeva Gosvāmī and other great sages.
  • Anyone who submissively hears this literature from the Lord’s bona fide devotees transcends his conditioned state and becomes qualified to meditate upon the Absolute Truth and serve Him.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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 13: The Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Having thus glorified the Bhāgavatam, Sūta Gosvāmī meditates upon Lord Śrī Nārāyaṇa as the original Absolute Truth, who is perfectly pure, free from all contamination, devoid of sorrow and immortal. Then he offers obeisances to the greatest yogī, Śrī Śukadeva, who is nondifferent from the Absolute Truth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kasmaiunto Brahmā
  2. yenaby whom
  3. vibhāsitaḥthoroughly revealed
  4. ayamthis
  5. atulaḥincomparable
  6. jñānaof transcendental knowledge
  7. pradīpaḥthe torchlight
  8. purālong ago
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 12.13

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “absolute truth”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 12.13

    In this verse: “suffering”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 12.13

    In this verse: “free from”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How can I hear Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam more submissively, as Kṛṣṇa’s message through His devotees?

Practice

Listen attentively to a short Bhāgavatam reading by a bona fide devotee, with the intention to understand and serve.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Speaks Through His Pure RepresentativesThis 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 12.13.19? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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