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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

12.2.30 12.2.32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.31

Sthāna· The universe in order

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.2.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यदा देवर्षय: सप्त मघासु विचरन्ति हि ।

तदा प्रवृत्तस्तु कलिर्द्वादशाब्दशतात्मक: ॥ ३१ ॥

yadā devarṣayaḥ sapta

maghāsu vicaranti hi

tadā pravṛttas tu kalir

dvādaśābda-śatātmakaḥ

Translation

When the constellation of the seven sages is passing through the lunar mansion Maghā, the Age of Kali begins. It comprises twelve hundred years of the demigods.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kali’s Beginning and Duration

1
The beginning of the Age of Kali is marked by the constellation of the seven sages.
2
At that time, the constellation is passing through the lunar mansion Maghā.
3
The age comprises twelve hundred years of the demigods.

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

Chapter 2: The Symptoms of Kali-yuga

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When the moon, sun and the planet Bṛhaspati enter simultaneously into one constellation and conjoin in the lunar mansion Puṣyā, Satya-yuga will begin. In the order of Satya, Tretā, Dvāpara and Kali, the cycle of four ages rotates in the society of living entities in this universe.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yadāwhen
deva-ṛṣayaḥ saptathe seven sages among the demigods
maghāsuin the lunar mansion Maghā
vicarantiare traveling
hiindeed
tadāthen
pravṛttaḥbegins
tuand

Key ideas in this verse

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

Sthāna · Planetary systems
How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Why is it important to notice whose years are being counted?

Practice

Write down Kali’s stated duration, keeping the words “of the demigods” beside the number.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKali’s Beginning and DurationThis 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 12.2.31? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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