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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

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

12.6.37 12.6.39

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.6.38

Mukti· Liberation

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.6.37inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

यदुपासनया ब्रह्मन् योगिनो मलमात्मन: ।

द्रव्यक्रियाकारकाख्यं धूत्वा यान्त्यपुनर्भवम् ॥ ३८ ॥

yad-upāsanayā brahman

yogino malam ātmanaḥ

dravya-kriyā-kārakākhyaṁ

dhūtvā yānty apunar-bhavam

Translation

By worship of this subtle form of the Vedas, O brāhmaṇa, mystic sages cleanse their hearts of all contamination caused by impurity of substance, activity and doer, and thus they attain freedom from repeated birth and death.

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.

Worship That Purifies the Heart

1
Mystic sages worship the subtle form of the Vedas.
2
Through this worship, they cleanse their hearts of contamination caused by impurity of substance, activity and doer.
3
Thus purified, they attain freedom from repeated birth and death.

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:

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. Using this oṁkāra, Lord Brahmā created the original Vedas and taught them to his sons, Marīci and others, who were all saintly leaders of the brāhmaṇa community.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

yatof which (subtle form of the Vedas)
upāsanayāby the worship
brahmanO brāhmaṇa
yoginaḥmystic sages
malamthe contamination
ātmanaḥof the heart
dravyasubstance
kriyāactivity

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
Śuddhi · Inner transformation
The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 12.6
In this verse: “cleanse”, “contamination”, “purified”
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 12.6
In this verse: “worship”
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 12.6
In this verse: “death”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might a desire for inner purification shape my approach to worship?

Practice

Before worship today, pause and make cleansing the heart your conscious aim.

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayWorship That Purifies the HeartThis 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.

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