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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
12.6.40-4112.6.43

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.6.42

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.6.37inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तस्य ह्यासंस्त्रयो वर्णा अकाराद्या भृगूद्वह ।

धार्यन्ते यैस्त्रयो भावा गुणनामार्थवृत्तय: ॥ ४२ ॥

tasya hy āsaṁs trayo varṇā

a-kārādyā bhṛgūdvaha

dhāryante yais trayo bhāvā

guṇa-nāmārtha-vṛttayaḥ

Translation

Oṁkāra exhibited the three original sounds of the alphabet — A, U and M. These three, O most eminent descendant of Bhṛgu, sustain all the different threefold aspects of material existence, including the three modes of nature, the names of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas, the goals known as the Bhūr, Bhuvar and Svar planetary systems, and the three functional platforms called waking consciousness, sleep and deep sleep.

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.

Three Sounds Sustain Threefold Material Existence

  1. 1

    Oṁkāra exhibited the three original sounds of the alphabet: A, U and M.

  2. 2

    These sounds sustain the threefold aspects of material existence, including the three modes of nature and the names of the Ṛg, Yajur and Sāma Vedas.

  3. 3

    They also sustain the goals known as the Bhūr, Bhuvar and Svar planetary systems, and the states of waking consciousness, sleep and deep sleep.

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:

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. This body of Vedic knowledge was handed down through the disciplic succession of spiritual masters until the end of Dvāpara-yuga, when Lord Vyāsadeva divided it into four parts and instructed various schools of sages in these four saṁhitās.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.6
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tasyaof that oṁkāra
  2. hiindeed
  3. āsancame into being
  4. trayaḥthree
  5. varṇāḥsounds of the alphabet
  6. a-kāra-ādyāḥbeginning with the letter a
  7. bhṛgu-udvahaO most eminent of the descendants of Bhṛgu
  8. dhāryanteare sustained
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.6

    In this verse: “material”

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

Which of these threefold aspects helps me appreciate the scope attributed to oṁkāra?

Practice

Write A, U and M, then list the three states of consciousness described in the verse.

5

The story around it

The stories this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 12.6's connections

Live this todayThree Sounds Sustain Threefold Material ExistenceThis 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 12.6.42? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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