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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

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

12.4.8 12.4.10

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.4.9

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

तत: संवर्तको वह्नि: सङ्कर्षणमुखोत्थित: ।

दहत्यनिलवेगोत्थ: शून्यान् भूविवरानथ ॥ ९ ॥

tataḥ saṁvartako vahniḥ

saṅkarṣaṇa-mukhotthitaḥ

dahaty anila-vegotthaḥ

śūnyān bhū-vivarān atha

Translation

Next the great fire of annihilation will flare up from the mouth of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa. Carried by the mighty force of the wind, this fire will burn throughout the universe, scorching the lifeless cosmic shell.

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.

Fire Spreads From Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa

1
The great fire of annihilation flares up from the mouth of Lord Saṅkarṣaṇa.
2
The mighty force of the wind carries this fire throughout the universe.
3
The fire scorches the lifeless cosmic shell.

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:

This chapter discusses the four kinds of annihilation (constant, occasional, material and final) and the chanting of the holy name of Lord Hari, which is the only means of stopping the cycle of material life. One thousand cycles of four ages constitute one day of Brahmā, and each day of Brahmā, called a kalpa, contains within it the lifetimes of fourteen Manus.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tataḥthen
saṁvartakaḥof destruction
vahniḥthe fire
saṅkarṣaṇaof the Supreme Lord, Saṅkarṣaṇa
mukhafrom the mouth
utthitaḥarisen
dahatiburns
anila-vegaby the force of the wind

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 stands out to you about the source and reach of this annihilating fire?

Practice

Read the translation once more, noticing the fire’s source, how it spreads and what it burns.

Live this todayFire Spreads From Lord SaṅkarṣaṇaThis 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 12.4.9? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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