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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.
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Canto 12 · Chapter 3: The Bhūmi-gītā
12.3.112.3.3-4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.2

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.3.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

काम एष नरेन्द्राणां मोघ: स्याद् विदुषामपि ।

येन फेनोपमे पिण्डे येऽतिविश्रम्भिता नृपा: ॥ २ ॥

kāma eṣa narendrāṇāṁ

moghaḥ syād viduṣām api

yena phenopame piṇḍe

ye ’ti-viśrambhitā nṛpāḥ

Translation

“Great rulers of men, even those who are learned, meet frustration and failure because of material lust. Driven by lust, these kings place great hope and faith in the dead lump of flesh called the body, even though the material frame is as fleeting as bubbles of foam on water.

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.

Lust Places Hope in a Fleeting Body

  1. 1

    Material lust brings frustration and failure even to learned rulers.

  2. 2

    Driven by lust, kings place great hope and faith in the body, described as a dead lump of flesh.

  3. 3

    The material body is as fleeting as bubbles of foam on water, yet these rulers trust it deeply.

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:

It also describes how even though the Age of Kali is full of faults, the glorification of the name of Lord Hari destroys them all. Great kings, who are actually just playthings of death, desire to subdue their six internal enemies — the five senses and the mind — and afterward they imagine they will go on to conquer the earth and all its oceans.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. kāmaḥlust
  2. eṣaḥthis
  3. nara-indrāṇāmof the rulers of men
  4. moghaḥthe failure
  5. syātbecomes
  6. viduṣāmwho are wise
  7. apieven
  8. yenaby which (lust)
3

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 12.3

    In this verse: “lust”, “material”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “kings”, “rulers”

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

Where am I placing lasting hopes in my temporary body?

Practice

Notice one bodily desire today and pause before treating its satisfaction as a lasting achievement.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLust Places Hope in a Fleeting BodyThis 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 12.3.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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