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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
12.3.4712.3.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.48

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

विद्यातप:प्राणनिरोधमैत्री-

तीर्थाभिषेकव्रतदानजप्यै: ।

नात्यन्तशुद्धिं लभतेऽन्तरात्मा

यथा हृदिस्थे भगवत्यनन्ते ॥ ४८ ॥

vidyā-tapaḥ-prāṇa-nirodha-maitrī-

tīrthābhiṣeka-vrata-dāna-japyaiḥ

nātyanta-śuddhiṁ labhate ’ntarātmā

yathā hṛdi-sthe bhagavaty anante

Translation

By one’s engaging in the processes of demigod worship, austerities, breath control, compassion, bathing in holy places, strict vows, charity and chanting of various mantras, one’s mind cannot attain the same absolute purification as that achieved when the unlimited Personality of Godhead appears within one’s heart.

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.

The Lord’s Presence Brings Complete Purification

  1. 1

    Demigod worship, austerities and breath control cannot give the mind the same complete purification as the Lord’s appearance within the heart.

  2. 2

    Compassion, bathing in holy places, strict vows, charity and chanting various mantras also cannot equal that purification.

  3. 3

    Complete purification comes when the unlimited Personality of Godhead appears within one’s heart. The verse directs our attention to Him.

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:

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. All that was accomplished in the age of Satya by meditation, in the age of Tretā by sacrificial performances and in the age of Dvāpara by temple worship is easily gained during the Kali-yuga by the simple process of hari-kīrtana.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.3
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. vidyāby worship of demigods
  2. tapaḥausterities
  3. prāṇa-nirodhaexercise of breath control
  4. maitrīcompassion
  5. tīrtha-abhiṣekabathing in holy places
  6. vratastrict vows
  7. dānacharity
  8. japyaiḥand chanting of various mantras
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: “chanting”

  • Karuṇā · Compassion

    Concern for others expressed through bhakti. · Theme in SB 12.3

    In this verse: “compassion”

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 seeking the Lord’s presence within my heart, rather than relying only on outward practices?

Practice

Take one quiet minute today to turn your attention toward the unlimited Personality of Godhead within the heart.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord’s Presence Brings Complete PurificationThis 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 12.3.48? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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