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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.3.52

Who is speaking and story frame

कृते यद्ध्यायतो विष्णुं त्रेतायां यजतो मखै: ।

द्वापरे परिचर्यायां कलौ तद्धरिकीर्तनात् ॥ ५२ ॥

kṛte yad dhyāyato viṣṇuṁ

tretāyāṁ yajato makhaiḥ

dvāpare paricaryāyāṁ

kalau tad dhari-kīrtanāt

Translation

Whatever result was obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices, and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet can be obtained in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.

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.

Chant to Satisfy the Supreme Lord

  1. 1

    Chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in Kali-yuga brings the results obtained by meditating on Viṣṇu in Satya-yuga, performing sacrifices in Tretā-yuga, and serving the Lord’s lotus feet in Dvāpara-yuga.

  2. 2

    In Kali-yuga, even expert people cannot properly carry out austerity, yoga meditation, Deity worship and sacrifice with all their subsidiary functions.

  3. 3

    Chanting the Lord’s names is the most perfect penance and satisfies the Supreme Lord Viṣṇu. The purport urges spreading Hare Kṛṣṇa chanting throughout the world to rescue human society from Kali-yuga’s dangerous ocean.

Key points from the purport
  • A similar verse is found in the Viṣṇu Purāṇa (6.2.17), and also in the Padma Purāṇa (Uttara-khaṇḍa 72.25) and the Bṛhan-nāradīya Purāṇa (38.97):
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has further quoted from the Brahma-vaivarta Purāṇa concerning the degraded condition of people in Kali-yuga:
  • Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī has also cited the Cāturmāsya-māhātmya of the Skanda Purāṇa concerning the necessity of chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa in this age:

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

Connected verses· 4

Quoted in the purport ofSB 2.9.36

As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52): In the Viṣṇu Purāṇa it is written:

Quoted in the purport ofSB 7.14.16

It is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52): The entire Vedic civilization aims at satisfying the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Quoted in the purport ofSB 7.14.39

As it is said in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52): “Whatever result one obtained in Satya-yuga by meditating on Viṣṇu, in Tretā-yuga by performing sacrifices and in Dvāpara-yuga by serving the Lord’s lotus feet one can also obtain in Kali-yuga simply by chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra.”

Quoted in the purport ofCC Madhya 20.345

This verse is quoted from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (12.3.52).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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. kṛtein the Satya-yuga
  2. yatwhich
  3. dhyāyataḥfrom meditation
  4. viṣṇumon Lord Viṣṇu
  5. tretāyāmin the Tretā-yuga
  6. yajataḥfrom worshiping
  7. makhaiḥby performing sacrifices
  8. dvāparein the age of Dvāpara
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

  • Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting

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

    In this verse: “chanting”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

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

    In this verse: “worship”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

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

    In this verse: “dangerous”

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

How can I make my chanting an offering meant to satisfy the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Spend two minutes chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra today with the intention of pleasing the Supreme Lord.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayChant to Satisfy the Supreme LordOne of the 108 chosen lessons: a practice and a question from this verse

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 12.3.52? Get an answer from the verses themselves.