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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
12.6.3512.6.37

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.6.36

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śaunaka Ṛṣisince 12.6.36inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

श्रीशौनक उवाच

पैलादिभिर्व्यासशिष्यैर्वेदाचार्यैर्महात्मभि: ।

वेदाश्च कथिता व्यस्ता एतत् सौम्याभिधेहि न: ॥ ३६ ॥

śrī-śaunaka uvāca

pailādibhir vyāsa-śiṣyair

vedācāryair mahātmabhiḥ

vedāś ca kathitā vyastā

etat saumyābhidhehi naḥ

Translation

Śaunaka Ṛṣi said: O gentle Sūta, please narrate to us how Paila and the other greatly intelligent disciples of Śrīla Vyāsadeva, who are known as the standard authorities of Vedic wisdom, spoke and edited the Vedas.

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.

Respectfully Inquiring About Vedic Wisdom

  1. 1

    Śaunaka Ṛṣi respectfully asks gentle Sūta to narrate how the Vedas were spoken and edited.

  2. 2

    His inquiry concerns Paila and the other greatly intelligent disciples of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.

  3. 3

    These disciples are known as the standard authorities of Vedic wisdom.

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:

Thereafter Sūta Gosvāmī, in response to questions from Śrī Śaunaka, described the divisions of the Vedas. From the heart of the topmost demigod, Brahmā, came the subtle transcendental vibration, and from this subtle sound vibration arose the syllable om, greatly potent and self-luminous.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-śaunakaḥ uvācaŚrī Śaunaka Ṛṣi said
  2. paila-ādibhiḥby Paila and others
  3. vyāsa-śiṣyaiḥthe disciples of Śrīla Vyāsadeva
  4. veda-ācāryaiḥthe standard authorities of the Vedas
  5. mahā-ātmabhiḥwhose intelligence was very great
  6. vedāḥthe Vedas
  7. caand
  8. kathitāḥspoken
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 12.6

    In this verse: “wisdom”, “inquiry”

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

What does Śaunaka Ṛṣi's respectful inquiry teach me about approaching Vedic study?

Practice

Write one respectful question you would like to explore about how the Vedas were spoken and edited.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRespectfully Inquiring About Vedic WisdomThis 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 12.6.36? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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