1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 12 · The Age of Deterioration · 13 chapters

12345678910111213

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
12.4.612.4.8

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.7

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

पर्जन्य: शतवर्षाणि भूमौ राजन् न वर्षति ।

तदा निरन्ने ह्यन्योन्यं भक्ष्यमाणा: क्षुधार्दिता: ।

क्षयं यास्यन्ति शनकै: कालेनोपद्रुता: प्रजा: ॥ ७ ॥

parjanyaḥ śata-varṣāṇi

bhūmau rājan na varṣati

tadā niranne hy anyonyaṁ

bhakṣyamāṇāḥ kṣudhārditāḥ

kṣayaṁ yāsyanti śanakaiḥ

kālenopadrutāḥ prajāḥ

Translation

As annihilation approaches, O King, there will be no rain upon the earth for one hundred years. Drought will lead to famine, and the starving populace will literally consume one another. The inhabitants of the earth, bewildered by the force of time, will gradually be destroyed.

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.

Drought and Famine Precede Destruction

  1. 1

    As annihilation approaches, no rain falls upon the earth for one hundred years.

  2. 2

    Drought leads to famine, and the starving people consume one another.

  3. 3

    Bewildered by the force of time, the inhabitants of the earth are gradually destroyed.

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:

When Brahmā’s life span of one hundred years is finished, there occurs the prākṛtika, or total material, annihilation. At that time the seven elements of material nature, beginning with the mahat, and the entire universal egg composed of them are destroyed.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.4
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. parjanyaḥthe clouds
  2. śata-varṣāṇifor one hundred years
  3. bhūmauupon the earth
  4. rājanmy dear King
  5. na varṣatiwill not give rain
  6. tadāthen
  7. nirannewith the coming of famine
  8. hiindeed
3

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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.4

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does this description reveal about the fragility of life on earth?

Practice

At one meal today, pause to acknowledge how food depends on rainfall.

Live this todayDrought and Famine Precede DestructionThis 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 12.4.7? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
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