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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 2: The Symptoms of Kali-yuga
12.2.1012.2.12-16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.11

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.2.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

त्रिंशद्विंशतिवर्षाणि परमायु: कलौ नृणाम् ॥ ११ ॥

triṁśad viṁśati varṣāṇi

paramāyuḥ kalau nṛṇām

Translation

The maximum duration of life for human beings in Kali-yuga will become fifty years.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Human Life Will Become Very Short

  1. 1

    The verse describes a future shortening of human life in Kali-yuga.

  2. 2

    The maximum duration of human life will become fifty years.

  3. 3

    Fifty years is described as the maximum, not the average lifespan.

How it feels

Civilizational dread → Dispassion. Social and cosmic impermanence expose the limits of worldly plans.

Chapters 1–4 of Canto 12: The deterioration of Kali and universal dissolution. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 2: The Symptoms of Kali-yuga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

The kings become just like highway bandits, the people in general become dedicated to low occupations, and all the social classes become just like śūdras. All cows become like goats, all spiritual hermitages become like materialistic homes, and family ties extend no further than the immediate relationship of marriage.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. triṁśatthirty
  2. viṁśatiplus twenty
  3. varṣāṇiyears
  4. parama-āyuḥthe maximum duration of life
  5. kalauin Kali-yuga
  6. nṛṇāmof men
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the prospect of a shorter life affect the way I value my time?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute today reflecting on the limited duration of human life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHuman Life Will Become Very ShortThis 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 12.2.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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