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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 12 · Chapter 4: The Four Categories of Universal Annihilation
12.4.2512.4.27

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.26

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.4.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

यथा जलधरा व्योम्नि भवन्ति न भवन्ति च ।

ब्रह्मणीदं तथा विश्वमवयव्युदयाप्ययात् ॥ २६ ॥

yathā jala-dharā vyomni

bhavanti na bhavanti ca

brahmaṇīdaṁ tathā viśvam

avayavy udayāpyayāt

Translation

Just as clouds in the sky come into being and are then dispersed by the amalgamation and dissolution of their constituent elements, this material universe is created and destroyed within the Absolute Truth by the amalgamation and dissolution of its elemental, constituent parts.

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 Universe Appears Within the Absolute Truth

  1. 1

    Clouds come into being when their constituent elements combine, and disperse when those elements separate.

  2. 2

    Similarly, the material universe is created and destroyed through the combination and dissolution of its elemental parts.

  3. 3

    Both the creation and destruction of this universe take place within the Absolute Truth.

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 4: The Four Categories of Universal Annihilation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He perceives the entire created universe as separate from the Absolute and therefore unreal. That is called the ātyantika, or final, annihilation (liberation).
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yathājust as
  2. jala-dharāḥthe clouds
  3. vyomniin the sky
  4. bhavantiare
  5. na bhavantiare not
  6. caand
  7. brahmaṇiwithin the Absolute Truth
  8. idamthis
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.4

    In this verse: “material”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 12.4

    In this verse: “absolute truth”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the example of clouds help you understand the universe’s temporary appearance?

Practice

Look at the sky today and recall the verse’s comparison between clouds and the material universe.

Live this todayThe Universe Appears Within the Absolute TruthThis 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 12.4.26? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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