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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
12.3.4312.3.45

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.44

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.3.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यन्नामधेयं म्रियमाण आतुर:

पतन् स्खलन् वा विवशो गृणन् पुमान् ।

विमुक्तकर्मार्गल उत्तमां गतिं

प्राप्नोति यक्ष्यन्ति न तं कलौ जना: ॥ ४४ ॥

yan-nāmadheyaṁ mriyamāṇa āturaḥ

patan skhalan vā vivaśo gṛṇan pumān

vimukta-karmārgala uttamāṁ gatiṁ

prāpnoti yakṣyanti na taṁ kalau janāḥ

Translation

Terrified, about to die, a man collapses on his bed. Although his voice is faltering and he is hardly conscious of what he is saying, if he utters the holy name of the Supreme Lord he can be freed from the reaction of his fruitive work and achieve the supreme destination. But still people in the Age of Kali will not worship the Supreme Lord.

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.

Accept the Mercy of the Holy Name

  1. 1

    Even a terrified, dying person with a faltering voice can utter the Supreme Lord's holy name.

  2. 2

    By uttering that name, a person can be freed from the reactions of fruitive work and attain the supreme destination.

  3. 3

    Yet people in Kali-yuga will not worship the Lord. The purport's horse-and-water comparison reminds us that an available opportunity can still be refused.

Key points from the purport
  • You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.

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:

Living entities contaminated by the influence of Kali do not worship the Supreme Lord, Śrī Hari, even though they can be freed from all bondage and easily achieve the supreme destination simply by chanting the glories of His name and taking shelter of Him. 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.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yatwhose
  2. nāmadheyamname
  3. mriyamāṇaḥa person who is dying
  4. āturaḥdistressed
  5. patancollapsing
  6. skhalanvoice faltering
  7. vāor
  8. vivaśaḥhelplessly
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

    Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “holy name”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “dying”

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 accepting the opportunity to call upon the Lord, or putting it off?

Practice

Pause today and attentively utter the Supreme Lord's holy name.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAccept the Mercy of the Holy NameThis 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 12.3.44? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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