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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 7: The Purāṇic Literatures
12.6.8012.7.2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.7.1

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.7.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

सूत उवाच

अथर्ववित्सुमन्तुश्च शिष्यमध्यापयत् स्वकाम् ।

संहितां सोऽपि पथ्याय वेददर्शाय चोक्तवान् ॥ १ ॥

sūta uvāca

atharva-vit sumantuś ca

śiṣyam adhyāpayat svakām

saṁhitāṁ so ’pi pathyāya

vedadarśāya coktavān

Translation

Sūta Gosvāmī said: Sumantu Ṛṣi, the authority on the Atharva Veda, taught his saṁhitā to his disciple Kabandha, who in turn spoke it to Pathya and Vedadarśa.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Vedic Knowledge Passed from Teacher to Disciple

  1. 1

    Sumantu Ṛṣi, an authority on the Atharva Veda, taught his saṁhitā to his disciple Kabandha.

  2. 2

    Kabandha divided this collection into two parts and passed them to Vedadarśa and Pathya.

  3. 3

    The Viṣṇu Purāṇa confirms this account and describes Sumantu’s brilliance as immeasurable.

Key points from the purport
  • Kabandha in turn divided it into two parts and passed them down to Vedadarśa and Pathya.”

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

How it feels

Inquiry → Reverence. The transmission of sacred knowledge continues beyond the king's life.

Chapters 7–8 of Canto 12: The Vedic corpus and Mārkaṇḍeya's devotion. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 7: The Purāṇic Literatures

Summary of this chapter:

In this chapter Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī describes the expansion of the branches of the Atharva Veda, enumerates the compilers of the Purāṇas and explains the characteristics of a Purāṇa. He then lists the eighteen major Purāṇas and finishes his account by stating that any person who hears about these matters from someone in a proper disciplic succession will acquire spiritual potency.
Back to this verse in chapter 12.7
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. sūtaḥ uvācaSūta Gosvāmī said
  2. atharva-vitthe expert knower of the Atharva Veda
  3. sumantuḥSumantu
  4. caand
  5. śiṣyamto his disciple
  6. adhyāpayatinstructed
  7. svakāmhis own
  8. saṁhitāmcollection
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

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 knowing who taught whom help you appreciate the care behind these teachings?

Practice

Write the teaching succession from Sumantu through Kabandha to his two disciples.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayVedic Knowledge Passed from Teacher to DiscipleThis 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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