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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

12.2.41 12.2.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.2.42

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

कथं सेयमखण्डा भू: पूर्वैर्मे पुरुषैर्धृता ।

मत्पुत्रस्य च पौत्रस्य मत्पूर्वा वंशजस्य वा ॥ ४२ ॥

kathaṁ seyam akhaṇḍā bhūḥ

pūrvair me puruṣair dhṛtā

mat-putrasya ca pautrasya

mat-pūrvā vaṁśa-jasya vā

Translation

[The materialistic king thinks:] “This unbounded earth was held by my predecessors and is now under my sovereignty. How can I arrange for it to remain in the hands of my sons, grandsons and other descendants?”

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Inherited Control Encourages Foolish Possessiveness

1
The materialistic king thinks of the earth as having belonged to his predecessors and now being under his sovereignty.
2
He plans how to keep it in the hands of his sons, grandsons and other descendants.
3
The purport identifies this way of thinking as foolish possessiveness.

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:

One of these kings is Devāpi, a brother of Mahārāja Śantanu, and the other is Maru, a descendant of Ikṣvāku. They are biding their time incognito in a village named Kalāpa.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

kathamhow
sā iyamthis same
akhaṇḍāunbounded
bhūḥearth
pūrvaiḥby the predecessors
memy
puruṣaiḥby the personalities
dhṛtāheld in control

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
Moha · Material attachment
The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.2
In this verse: “materialistic”
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.2
In this verse: “king”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When does my concern for my family become a wish to preserve control?

Practice

Examine one thought about keeping something “in the family” and notice any possessiveness behind it.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayInherited Control Encourages Foolish PossessivenessThis 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 12.2.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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