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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
12.2.3112.2.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.32

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 मघाभ्यो यास्यन्ति पूर्वाषाढां महर्षय: ।

तदा नन्दात् प्रभृत्येष कलिर्वृद्धिं गमिष्यति ॥ ३२ ॥

yadā maghābhyo yāsyanti

pūrvāṣāḍhāṁ maharṣayaḥ

tadā nandāt prabhṛty eṣa

kalir vṛddhiṁ gamiṣyati

Translation

When the great sages of the Saptarṣi constellation pass from Maghā to Pūrvāsāḍhā, Kali will have his full strength, beginning from King Nanda and his dynasty.

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.

Kali Reaches Full Strength

  1. 1

    The great sages of the Saptarṣi constellation pass from Maghā to Pūrvāsāḍhā.

  2. 2

    This transition marks the time when Kali will have his full strength.

  3. 3

    That full strength begins with King Nanda and his dynasty.

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:

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.2
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yadāwhen
  2. maghābhyaḥfrom Maghā
  3. yāsyantithey will go
  4. pūrva-āṣāḍhāmto the next lunar mansion, Pūrvāṣāḍhā
  5. mahā-ṛṣayaḥthe seven great sages
  6. tadāthen
  7. nandātbeginning from Nanda
  8. prabhṛtiand his descendants
3

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.2

    In this verse: “king”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

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

    In this verse: “nanda”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What distinction does this verse make between Kali’s beginning and his full strength?

Practice

Make a short note linking the movement from Maghā to Pūrvāsāḍhā with Kali’s full strength and King Nanda’s dynasty.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKali Reaches Full StrengthThis 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 12.2.32? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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