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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.5.2

Who is speaking and story frame

त्वं तु राजन् मरिष्येति पशुबुद्धिमिमां जहि ।

न जात: प्रागभूतोऽद्य देहवत्त्वं न नङ्‌क्ष्यसि ॥ २ ॥

tvaṁ tu rājan mariṣyeti

paśu-buddhim imāṁ jahi

na jātaḥ prāg abhūto ’dya

deha-vat tvaṁ na naṅkṣyasi

Translation

O King, give up the animalistic mentality of thinking, “I am going to die.” Unlike the body, you have not taken birth. There was not a time in the past when you did not exist, and you are not about to be destroyed.

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.

The Self Does Not Die

  1. 1

    Unlike the body, the self has not taken birth and will not be destroyed. Śukadeva Gosvāmī asks the King to give up thinking, “I am going to die.”

  2. 2

    Parīkṣit was already a great and pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa before hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. He had no animalistic fear of death; these strong instructions are spoken for our sake.

  3. 3

    The King had already taken the Lord’s lotus feet into his heart. His desire was that the devotees continue singing the deeds of Lord Viṣṇu.

Key points from the purport
  • At the end of the First Canto (1.19.15) King Parīkṣit stated:
  • Even before hearing Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, King Parīkṣit was a mahā-bhāgavata, a great and pure devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa.
  • There was actually no animalistic fear of death within the King, but for our sake Śukadeva Gosvāmī is speaking very strongly to his disciple, just as Lord Kṛṣṇa speaks strongly to Arjuna in Bhagavad-gītā.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Approaching death → Demonstrated fearlessness. Parīkṣit is already a great devotee; his final hearing exemplifies fearlessness for the audience.

This verse is a turning point of the arc: Give up fear of death.

Chapters 5–6 of Canto 12: Śukadeva's final instruction and Parīkṣit's passing. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 5: Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s Final Instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Having in the last chapter described the four processes of annihilation that act in this material world, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī now reminds Parīkṣit Mahārāja how he had previously, in the Third Canto, discussed the measurement of time and of the various millennia of universal history. During a single day of Lord Brahmā, constituting one thousand cycles of four ages, fourteen different Manus rule and die.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tvamyou
  2. tubut
  3. rājanO King
  4. mariṣyeI am about to die
  5. itithus thinking
  6. paśu-buddhimanimalistic mentality
  7. imāmthis
  8. jahigive up
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

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 12.5

    In this verse: “give up”

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 12.5

    In this verse: “fear”, “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 12.5

    In this verse: “king”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What can I learn from the King’s desire to hear about the Lord even in the face of death?

Practice

Spend a few minutes reading or hearing about the deeds of Lord Viṣṇu today.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Self Does Not DieThis 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 12.5.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.