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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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 6: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Passes Away

12.6.27 12.6.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.6.28

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.6.28inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

सूत उवाच

इत्युक्त: स तथेत्याह महर्षेर्मानयन् वच: ।

सर्पसत्रादुपरत: पूजयामास वाक्पतिम् ॥ २८ ॥

sūta uvāca

ity uktaḥ sa tathety āha

maharṣer mānayan vacaḥ

sarpa-satrād uparataḥ

pūjayām āsa vāk-patim

Translation

Sūta Gosvāmī continued: Advised in this manner, Mahārāja Janamejaya replied, “So be it.” Honoring the words of the great sage, he desisted from performing the snake sacrifice and worshiped Bṛhaspati, the most eloquent of sages.

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.

Honor Good Counsel Through Action

1
Hearing the advice, Mahārāja Janamejaya replied, “So be it.”
2
He honored the great sage’s words by stopping the snake sacrifice.
3
He then worshiped Bṛhaspati, the most eloquent of sages.

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

Chapter 6: Mahārāja Parīkṣit Passes Away

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Seeing this, Bṛhaspati, the son of Aṅgirā Ṛṣi, came and advised Mahārāja Janamejaya that Takṣaka could not be killed because he had drunk the nectar of the demigods. Furthermore, Bṛhaspati said that all living entities must enjoy the fruits of their past activities.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.6

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

sūtaḥ uvācaSūta Gosvāmī said
itithus
uktaḥaddressed
saḥhe (Janamejaya)
tathā itiso be it
āhahe said
mahā-ṛṣeḥof the great sage
mānayanhonoring

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

Manvantara · The change of Manus
What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 12.6
In this verse: “worshiped”
Kīrtana · Hearing and chanting
Remembering the Lord through sacred sound. · Theme in SB 12.6
In this verse: “hearing”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Do I honor good counsel by changing my actions, or only by agreeing with it?

Practice

Act on one piece of sound advice you have received, and thank the person who offered it.

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHonor Good Counsel Through ActionThis 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 12.6.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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