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Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto

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

12.4.2 12.4.4

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.3

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

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

तदन्ते प्रलयस्तावान् ब्राह्मी रात्रिरुदाहृता ।

त्रयो लोका इमे तत्र कल्पन्ते प्रलयाय हि ॥ ३ ॥

tad-ante pralayas tāvān

brāhmī rātrir udāhṛtā

trayo lokā ime tatra

kalpante pralayāya hi

Translation

After one day of Brahmā, annihilation occurs during his night, which is of the same duration. At that time all the three planetary systems are subject to destruction.

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.

Annihilation During Brahmā’s Night

1
After one day of Brahmā, annihilation occurs during his night.
2
Brahmā’s night is equal in duration to his day.
3
At that time, all three planetary systems are subject to destruction.

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:

During his night Brahmā sleeps, and the three planetary systems meet destruction; this is the naimittika, or occasional, annihilation. When Brahmā’s life span of one hundred years is finished, there occurs the prākṛtika, or total material, annihilation.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tat-anteafter those (thousand cycles of ages)
pralayaḥthe annihilation
tāvānof the same duration
brāhmīof Brahmā
rātriḥthe nighttime
udāhṛtāis described
trayaḥthe three
lokāḥworlds

Key ideas in this verse

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

Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead
What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the destruction of the three planetary systems suggest about their permanence?

Practice

Pause for a minute to reflect that even vast planetary systems are subject to destruction.

Live this todayAnnihilation During Brahmā’s NightThis 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 12.4.3? 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