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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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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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 4: The Four Categories of Universal Annihilation

12.4.1 12.4.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.2

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.4.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

चतुर्युगसहस्रं तु ब्रह्मणो दिनमुच्यते ।

स कल्पो यत्र मनवश्चतुर्दश विशाम्पते ॥ २ ॥

catur-yuga-sahasraṁ tu

brahmaṇo dinam ucyate

sa kalpo yatra manavaś

caturdaśa viśām-pate

Translation

One thousand cycles of four ages constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa. In that period, O King, fourteen Manus come and go.

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.

A Thousand Cycles Make Brahmā’s Day

1
A cycle contains four ages.
2
One thousand such cycles constitute a single day of Brahmā, known as a kalpa.
3
During that single day, fourteen Manus come and go.

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 4: The Four Categories of Universal Annihilation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

One thousand cycles of four ages constitute one day of Brahmā, and each day of Brahmā, called a kalpa, contains within it the lifetimes of fourteen Manus. The duration of Brahmā’s night is the same as that of his day.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.4

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

catuḥ-yugafour ages
sahasramone thousand
tuindeed
brahmaṇaḥof Lord Brahmā
dinamthe day
ucyateis said
saḥthat
kalpaḥa kalpa

Key ideas in this verse

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

Manvantara · The change of Manus
What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10
Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership
Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.4
In this verse: “king”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the length of Brahmā’s day broaden your sense of time?

Practice

Write one reminder: “One kalpa is one thousand cycles of four ages.”

Live this todayA Thousand Cycles Make Brahmā’s DayThis 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 12.4.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories