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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
12.4.3912.4.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.40

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

संसारसिन्धुमतिदुस्तरमुत्तितीर्षो-

र्नान्य: प्लवो भगवत: पुरुषोत्तमस्य ।

लीलाकथारसनिषेवणमन्तरेण

पुंसो भवेद् विविधदु:खदवार्दितस्य ॥ ४० ॥

saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor

nānyaḥ plavo bhagavataḥ puruṣottamasya

līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevaṇam antareṇa

puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya

Translation

For a person who is suffering in the fire of countless miseries and who desires to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except that of cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste for the narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s pastimes.

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.

Devotion to the Lord’s Pastimes Saves Us

  1. 1

    For one suffering countless miseries, cultivating devotion to the transcendental taste of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s pastimes is the only suitable boat across material existence.

  2. 2

    Although His pastimes cannot be completely described, even a partial appreciation can save one from unbearable material miseries.

  3. 3

    The holy name and pastimes of the Supreme Lord are the only medicine for the fever of material existence. They are perfectly narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

Key points from the purport
  • Although it is not possible to completely describe the pastimes of the Lord, even a partial appreciation can save one from the unbearable miseries of material existence.
  • The fever of material existence can be removed only by the medicine of the holy name and pastimes of the Supreme Lord, which are perfectly narrated in Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.

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· 1

Quoted in the purport ofSB 11.11.48

For one who has fallen into this sea and desires to get out, there is no other rescue boat except the constant relishing within oneself of the pastime narrations of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”

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 4: The Four Categories of Universal Annihilation

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Material life means subjugation to birth and death, or generation and annihilation. The only boat suitable for crossing the ocean of material existence, which is otherwise impossible to cross, is the boat of submissive hearing of the nectarean pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saṁsāraof material existence
  2. sindhumthe ocean
  3. ati-dustaramimpossible to cross
  4. uttitīrṣoḥfor one who desires to cross
  5. nathere is not
  6. anyaḥany other
  7. plavaḥboat
  8. bhagavataḥof the Personality of Godhead
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 12.4

    In this verse: “narrations”, “holy name”

  • Moha · Material attachment

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

    In this verse: “material”

  • Bhakti · Devotion and loving service

    How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 12.4

    In this verse: “devotion”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How could you make more room for devotion to the Lord’s holy name and pastimes when facing difficulty?

Practice

Spend five minutes reading Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with the intention of cultivating devotion to the Supreme Lord.

Live this todayDevotion to the Lord’s Pastimes Saves UsThis 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 12.4.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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