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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
12.3.4412.3.46

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.45

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.3.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

पुंसां कलिकृतान् दोषान् द्रव्यदेशात्मसम्भवान् ।

सर्वान् हरति चित्तस्थो भगवान् पुरुषोत्तम: ॥ ४५ ॥

puṁsāṁ kali-kṛtān doṣān

dravya-deśātma-sambhavān

sarvān harati citta-stho

bhagavān puruṣottamaḥ

Translation

In the Kali-yuga, objects, places and even individual personalities are all polluted. The almighty Personality of Godhead, however, can remove all such contamination from the life of one who fixes the Lord within his mind.

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.

Remembering the Lord Removes Contamination

  1. 1

    In Kali-yuga, contamination affects objects, places and individual personalities.

  2. 2

    The almighty Personality of Godhead can remove all such contamination from a person's life.

  3. 3

    The verse directs us to fix the Lord within the mind. Its assurance rests on the Lord's power to purify.

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. puṁsāmof men
  2. kali-kṛtāncreated by the influence of Kali
  3. doṣānthe faults
  4. dravyaobjects
  5. deśaspace
  6. ātmaand personal nature
  7. sambhavānbased upon
  8. sarvānall
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “contamination”, “purify”

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

When I notice contamination around or within me, do I turn my mind toward the Lord?

Practice

Sit quietly for one minute and bring your attention back to the Supreme Personality of Godhead whenever it wanders.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemembering the Lord Removes ContaminationThis 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 12.3.45? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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