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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 5: Śukadeva Gosvāmī’s Final Instructions to Mahārāja Parīkṣit
12.5.712.5.9

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.5.8

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 12.5.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

न तत्रात्मा स्वयंज्योतिर्यो व्यक्ताव्यक्तयो: पर: ।

आकाश इव चाधारो ध्रुवोऽनन्तोपमस्तत: ॥ ८ ॥

na tatrātmā svayaṁ-jyotir

yo vyaktāvyaktayoḥ paraḥ

ākāśa iva cādhāro

dhruvo ’nantopamas tataḥ

Translation

The soul within the body is self-luminous and is separate from the visible gross body and invisible subtle body. It remains as the fixed basis of changing bodily existence, just as the ethereal sky is the unchanging background of material transformation. Therefore the soul is endless and without material comparison.

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.

The Soul Remains Through Bodily Change

  1. 1

    The soul is self-luminous and separate from both the visible gross body and the invisible subtle body.

  2. 2

    It remains the fixed basis of changing bodily existence, just as the ethereal sky is the unchanging background of material transformation.

  3. 3

    The soul is endless and without material comparison.

How it feels

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

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:

The idea “I will die” is simply the mentality of animals, because the soul does not undergo the bodily phases of previous nonexistence, birth, existence and death. When the body’s subtle mental covering is destroyed by transcendental knowledge, the soul within the body again exhibits his original identity.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.5
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. nanot
  2. tatrathere
  3. ātmāthe soul
  4. svayam-jyotiḥself-luminous
  5. yaḥwho
  6. vyakta-avyaktayoḥfrom the manifest and the unmanifest (the gross and subtle bodies)
  7. paraḥdifferent
  8. ākāśaḥthe sky
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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.5

    In this verse: “material”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering the soul’s steadiness change my view of bodily changes?

Practice

Notice one way your body has changed over time, and reflect on the soul as the fixed basis of that changing existence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Soul Remains Through Bodily ChangeThis 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 12.5.8? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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