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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
12.2.2512.2.27-28

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.26

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.2.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

आरभ्य भवतो जन्म यावन्नन्दाभिषेचनम् ।

एतद् वर्षसहस्रं तु शतं पञ्चदशोत्तरम् ॥ २६ ॥

ārabhya bhavato janma

yāvan nandābhiṣecanam

etad varṣa-sahasraṁ tu

śataṁ pañcadaśottaram

Translation

From your birth up to the coronation of King Nanda, 1,150 years will pass.

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.

Understanding the Royal Chronology

  1. 1

    The translation gives 1,150 years from the listener’s birth to King Nanda’s coronation.

  2. 2

    Śukadeva Gosvāmī previously described approximately fifteen hundred years of royal dynasties, but some kings’ reigns overlapped.

  3. 3

    The purport therefore directs us to accept the present chronological calculation as authoritative.

Key points from the purport
  • Although Śukadeva Gosvāmī previously described approximately fifteen hundred years of royal dynasties, it is understood that some overlapping occurred between kings.
  • Therefore the present chronological calculation should be taken as authoritative.

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

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:

He will mount His horse Devadatta and, taking His sword in hand, will roam about the earth killing millions of bandits in the guise of kings. Then the signs of the next Satya-yuga will begin to appear.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ārabhyabeginning from
  2. bhavataḥof your good self (Parīkṣit)
  3. janmathe birth
  4. yāvatup until
  5. nandaof King Nanda, the son of Mahānandi
  6. abhiṣecanamthe coronation
  7. etatthis
  8. varṣayears
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 12.2

    In this verse: “nanda”, “nanda’s”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.2

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the explanation of overlapping reigns help you read the chronology carefully?

Practice

Note the figure 1,150 years and add a reminder that some royal reigns overlapped.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayUnderstanding the Royal ChronologyThis 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 12.2.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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