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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 6: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Passes Away
12.6.1212.6.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.6.13

Nirodha· Winding up
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.6.8inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

ब्रह्मभूतस्य राजर्षेर्देहोऽहिगरलाग्निना ।

बभूव भस्मसात् सद्य: पश्यतां सर्वदेहिनाम् ॥ १३ ॥

brahma-bhūtasya rājarṣer

deho ’hi-garalāgninā

babhūva bhasmasāt sadyaḥ

paśyatāṁ sarva-dehinām

Translation

While living beings all over the universe looked on, the body of the great self-realized saint among kings was immediately burned to ashes by the fire of the snake’s poison.

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 Saintly King’s Body Turns to Ashes

  1. 1

    The King is described as a great self-realized saint among kings.

  2. 2

    The fire of the snake’s poison immediately burned his body to ashes.

  3. 3

    Living beings throughout the universe witnessed this event. The verse describes the destruction of his body while affirming his self-realized standing.

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 6: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Passes Away

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Then the snake-bird Takṣaka, arriving in the disguise of a brāhmaṇa, bit him, and the body of the saintly king immediately burned to ashes. Janamejaya, the son of Parīkṣit, became very angry when he received news of his father’s death, and he began a sacrificial performance for the purpose of destroying all the snakes.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. brahma-bhūtasyaof the fully self-realized
  2. rāja-ṛṣeḥthe saint among kings
  3. dehaḥthe body
  4. ahiof the snake
  5. garalafrom the poison
  6. agnināby the fire
  7. babhūvaturned
  8. bhasma-sātto ashes
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 12.6

    In this verse: “kings”, “king”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the description of the King as self-realized shape your understanding of his body’s destruction?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, noticing separately what it says about the King and about his body.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Saintly King’s Body Turns to AshesThis 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 12.6.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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