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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
12.3.2412.3.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.25

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.3.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तस्मिन् लुब्धा दुराचारा निर्दया: शुष्कवैरिण: ।

दुर्भगा भूरितर्षाश्च शूद्रदासोत्तरा: प्रजा: ॥ २५ ॥

tasmin lubdhā durācārā

nirdayāḥ śuṣka-vairiṇaḥ

durbhagā bhūri-tarṣāś ca

śūdra-dāsottarāḥ prajāḥ

Translation

In the Kali age people tend to be greedy, ill-behaved and merciless, and they fight one another without good reason. Unfortunate and obsessed with material desires, the people of Kali-yuga are almost all śūdras and barbarians.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa Consciousness Offers Hope in Kali

  1. 1

    People in Kali-yuga tend toward greed, misconduct and mercilessness. Material desires absorb them, and they quarrel without good reason.

  2. 2

    The purport describes a society dominated by dependent workers, while enlightened devotees of God and noble political leaders are scarce. Large businesses increasingly make independent businessmen and farmers into employees.

  3. 3

    The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is empowered to rectify this dismal condition. The purport presents it as the only hope for Kali-yuga.

Key points from the purport
  • In this age, we can already observe that most people are laborers, clerks, fishermen, artisans or other kinds of workers within the śūdra category.
  • Vast regions of the earth are already populated by barbarians and semibarbarous peoples, making the entire situation dangerous and bleak.
  • It is the only hope for the ghastly age called Kali-yuga.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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:

In the age of Satya, religion was complete, still possessing its four legs of truth, mercy, austerity and charity. With the coming of each succeeding age, starting with Tretā, these religious qualities each diminish by one quarter.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasminin that age
  2. lubdhāḥgreedy
  3. durācārāḥill-behaved
  4. nirdayāḥmerciless
  5. śuṣka-vairiṇaḥprone to useless quarrel
  6. durbhagāḥunfortunate
  7. bhūri-tarṣāḥobsessed by many kinds of hankering
  8. caand
  9. śūdra-dāsa-uttarāḥpredominantly low-class laborers and barbarians
  10. prajāḥthe people
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: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “devotees”

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

Am I giving more attention to material desires or to cultivating Kṛṣṇa consciousness?

Practice

Set aside one unnecessary material pursuit today and use that time for a small act of devotional service to Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa Consciousness Offers Hope in KaliThis 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 12.3.25? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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