1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 12 · The Age of Deterioration · 13 chapters

12345678910111213

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 2: The Symptoms of Kali-yuga
12.2.27-2812.2.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.29

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.2.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विष्णोर्भगवतो भानु: कृष्णाख्योऽसौ दिवं गत: ।

तदाविशत् कलिर्लोकं पापे यद् रमते जन: ॥ २९ ॥

viṣṇor bhagavato bhānuḥ

kṛṣṇākhyo ’sau divaṁ gataḥ

tadāviśat kalir lokaṁ

pāpe yad ramate janaḥ

Translation

The Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is brilliant like the sun and is known as Kṛṣṇa. When He returned to the spiritual sky, Kali entered this world, and people then began to take pleasure in sinful activities.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Departure and Kali’s Entry

  1. 1

    The Supreme Lord, Viṣṇu, is brilliant like the sun and is known as Kṛṣṇa.

  2. 2

    When Kṛṣṇa returned to the spiritual sky, Kali entered this world.

  3. 3

    People then began to take pleasure in sinful activities.

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 appear in the village Śambhala, in the home of the exalted brāhmaṇa Viṣṇuyaśā, and will take the name Kalki. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. viṣṇoḥof Viṣṇu
  2. bhagavataḥthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  3. bhānuḥthe sun
  4. kṛṣṇa-ākhyaḥknown as Kṛṣṇa
  5. asauHe
  6. divamto the spiritual sky
  7. gataḥhaving returned
  8. tadāthen
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead

    What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 12.2

    In this verse: “sinful”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this verse invite you to examine about the things you take pleasure in?

Practice

Pause before one activity today and consider whether it encourages pleasure in wrongdoing.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa’s Departure and Kali’s EntryThis 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 12.2.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories