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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
12.13.212.13.4-9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.13.3

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

पुराणसङ्ख्यासम्भूतिमस्य वाच्यप्रयोजने ।

दानं दानस्य माहात्म्यं पाठादेश्च निबोधत ॥ ३ ॥

purāṇa-saṅkhyā-sambhūtim

asya vācya-prayojane

dānaṁ dānasya māhātmyaṁ

pāṭhādeś ca nibodhata

Translation

Now please hear a summation of the verse length of each of the Purāṇas. Then hear of the prime subject and purpose of this Bhāgavata Purāṇa, the proper method of giving it as a gift, the glories of such gift-giving, and finally the glories of hearing and chanting this literature.

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.

Hear the Glories of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam

  1. 1

    Sūta Gosvāmī asks his listeners to hear the verse counts of the Purāṇas and the subject and purpose of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.

  2. 2

    He also introduces the proper method and glories of giving it as a gift, along with the glories of hearing and chanting it.

  3. 3

    Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is the best of all Purāṇas. The other Purāṇas are mentioned like a king’s assistants in a description of his glory.

Key points from the purport
  • Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains that the other Purāṇas will now be mentioned just as the assistants of a king are mentioned in connection with his glorification.

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:

In this final chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes the length of each of the Purāṇas, along with the subject matter of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, its purpose, how to give it as a gift, the glories of such gift-giving and the glories of chanting and hearing it. The total corpus of the Purāṇas includes four hundred thousand verses, eighteen thousand of which constitute Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.13
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. purāṇaof the Purāṇas
  2. saṅkhyāof the counting (of verses)
  3. sambhūtimthe summation
  4. asyaof this Bhāgavatam
  5. vācyathe subject matter
  6. prayojaneand the purpose
  7. dānamthe method of giving as a gift
  8. dānasyaof such gift-giving
3

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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 12.13

    In this verse: “chanting”, “hearing”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.13

    In this verse: “king’s”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which would I like to understand better: the Bhāgavatam’s purpose, hearing it, or giving it?

Practice

Reread this translation and note one topic you want to hear about attentively.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHear the Glories of Śrīmad-BhāgavatamThis 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 12.13.3? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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