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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

12.4.37 12.4.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.38

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

नित्यो नैमित्तिकश्चैव तथा प्राकृतिको लय: ।

आत्यन्तिकश्च कथित: कालस्य गतिरीद‍ृशी ॥ ३८ ॥

nityo naimittikaś caiva

tathā prākṛtiko layaḥ

ātyantikaś ca kathitaḥ

kālasya gatir īdṛśī

Translation

In this way the progress of time is described in terms of the four kinds of annihilation — continuous, occasional, elemental and final.

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.

Four Kinds of Annihilation Describe Time

1
The progress of time is described through four kinds of annihilation.
2
Continuous and occasional annihilation are two of these kinds.
3
Elemental and final annihilation complete the fourfold description.

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:

Those possessed of subtle vision state that all creatures, including Brahmā himself, are always subject to generation and annihilation. Material life means subjugation to birth and death, or generation and annihilation.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

nityaḥcontinuous
naimittikaḥoccasional
caand
evaindeed
tathāalso
prākṛtikaḥnatural
layaḥannihilation
ātyantikaḥfinal

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

How does this fourfold description help you reflect on the progress of time?

Practice

Write down the four kinds of annihilation: continuous, occasional, elemental and final.

Live this todayFour Kinds of Annihilation Describe TimeThis 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 12.4.38? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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