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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 3: The Bhūmi-gītā
12.3.1612.3.18

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.17

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 12.3.16inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

युगानि युगधर्मांश्च मानं प्रलयकल्पयो: ।

कालस्येश्वररूपस्य गतिं विष्णोर्महात्मन: ॥ १७ ॥

yugāni yuga-dharmāṁś ca

mānaṁ pralaya-kalpayoḥ

kālasyeśvara-rūpasya

gatiṁ viṣṇor mahātmanaḥ

Translation

Please explain the different ages of universal history, the special qualities of each age, the duration of cosmic maintenance and destruction, and the movement of time, which is the direct representation of the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu.

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.

Time Represents the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    The King asks about the different ages of universal history and the special qualities of each.

  2. 2

    He also asks about the duration of cosmic maintenance and destruction.

  3. 3

    Time is the direct representation of the Supreme Soul, the Personality of Godhead, Lord Viṣṇu.

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 3: The Bhūmi-gītā

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

But if somehow or other the Supreme Personality of Godhead becomes manifest within the hearts of the conditioned souls in Kali-yuga, then all faults of place, time and personality inherent in the age will be destroyed. Kali-yuga is an ocean of faults, but it possesses one great quality: simply by the chanting of the name of Kṛṣṇa, one can be delivered from material association and attain the Absolute Truth.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yugānithe ages of the universal history
  2. yuga-dharmānthe special qualities of each age
  3. caand
  4. mānamthe measurement
  5. pralayaof annihilation
  6. kalpayoḥand of universal maintenance
  7. kālasyaof time
  8. īśvara-rūpasyathe representation of the Personality of Godhead
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “king”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might seeing time as the Lord’s representation change my attitude toward it?

Practice

Pause once today to reflect that the movement of time represents Lord Viṣṇu.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayTime Represents the Supreme LordThis 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 12.3.17? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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