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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

12.4.41 12.4.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.42

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

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

स वै मह्यं महाराज भगवान् बादरायण: ।

इमां भागवतीं प्रीत: संहितां वेदसम्मिताम् ॥ ४२ ॥

sa vai mahyaṁ mahā-rāja

bhagavān bādarāyaṇaḥ

imāṁ bhāgavatīṁ prītaḥ

saṁhitāṁ veda-sammitām

Translation

My dear Mahārāja Parīkṣit, that great personality Śrīla Vyāsadeva taught me this same scripture, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, which is equal in stature to the four Vedas.

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.

Bhāgavatam Equals the Four Vedas in Stature

1
The speaker tells Mahārāja Parīkṣit that Śrīla Vyāsadeva taught him this same scripture.
2
The scripture he received is Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam.
3
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam is equal in stature to the four Vedas.

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:

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 summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.4

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

saḥhe
vaiindeed
mahyamto me, Śukadeva Gosvāmī
mahārājaO King Parīkṣit
bhagavānthe powerful incarnation of the Supreme Lord
bādarāyaṇaḥŚrīla Vyāsadeva
imāmthis
bhāgavatīmBhāgavata scripture

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might recognizing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s stature change the attention you give it?

Practice

Read this translation once without distraction, giving it the respectful attention its stated stature invites.

Live this todayBhāgavatam Equals the Four Vedas in StatureThis 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 12.4.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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