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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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

12.3.49 12.3.51

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.50

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.3.18inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

म्रियमाणैरभिध्येयो भगवान् परमेश्वर: ।

आत्मभावं नयत्यङ्ग सर्वात्मा सर्वसंश्रय: ॥ ५० ॥

mriyamāṇair abhidhyeyo

bhagavān parameśvaraḥ

ātma-bhāvaṁ nayaty aṅga

sarvātmā sarva-saṁśrayaḥ

Translation

My dear King, the Personality of Godhead is the ultimate controller. He is the Supreme Soul and the supreme shelter of all beings. When meditated upon by those about to die, He reveals to them their own eternal spiritual identity.

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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Supreme Shelter Reveals Our Identity

1
The Personality of Godhead is the ultimate controller. No other shelter is presented as supreme.
2
He is the Supreme Soul and the supreme shelter of all beings.
3
When those approaching death meditate upon Him, He reveals their own eternal spiritual identity.

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

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.3

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

mriyamāṇaiḥby those who are dying
abhidhyeyaḥmeditated upon
bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
parama-īśvaraḥthe Supreme Lord
ātma-bhāvamtheir own true identity
nayatileads them to
aṅgamy dear King
sarva-ātmāthe Supreme Soul
sarva-saṁśrayaḥthe shelter of all beings

Key ideas in this verse

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

Āśraya · The summum bonum
Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.3
In this verse: “king”
Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender
Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 12.3
In this verse: “shelter”
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 12.3
In this verse: “death”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing the Lord is my supreme shelter affect my thoughts about death?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute meditating upon the Personality of Godhead as your supreme shelter.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Supreme Shelter Reveals Our IdentityThis 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 12.3.50? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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