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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
12.7.1212.7.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.7.13

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.7.1inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

वृत्तिर्भूतानि भूतानां चराणामचराणि च ।

कृता स्वेन नृणां तत्र कामाच्चोदनयापि वा ॥ १३ ॥

vṛttir bhūtāni bhūtānāṁ

carāṇām acarāṇi ca

kṛtā svena nṛṇāṁ tatra

kāmāc codanayāpi vā

Translation

Vṛtti means the process of sustenance, by which the moving beings live upon the nonmoving. For a human, vṛtti specifically means acting for one’s livelihood in a manner suited to his personal nature. Such action may be carried out either in pursuit of selfish desire or in accordance with the law of God.

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.

Livelihood Can Follow God’s Law

  1. 1

    Vṛtti means the process of sustenance, by which moving beings live upon nonmoving beings.

  2. 2

    For humans, vṛtti specifically means earning a livelihood in a manner suited to one’s personal nature.

  3. 3

    Such work may be pursued for selfish desire or carried out in accordance with the law of God.

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. vṛttiḥthe sustenance
  2. bhūtāniliving beings
  3. bhūtānāmof living beings
  4. carāṇāmof those that move
  5. acarāṇithose that do not move
  6. caand
  7. kṛtāexecuted
  8. svenaby one’s own conditioned nature
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 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

Am I approaching my livelihood mainly through selfish desire or with concern for God’s law?

Practice

Before one work task today, pause to consider whether your intention is merely selfish.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayLivelihood Can Follow God’s LawThis 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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