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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
12.7.512.7.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.7.6

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

अधीयन्त व्यासशिष्यात् संहितां मत्पितुर्मुखात् ।

एकैकामहमेतेषां शिष्य: सर्वा: समध्यगाम् ॥ ६ ॥

adhīyanta vyāsa-śiṣyāt

saṁhitāṁ mat-pitur mukhāt

ekaikām aham eteṣāṁ

śiṣyaḥ sarvāḥ samadhyagām

Translation

Each of them studied one of the six anthologies of the Purāṇas from my father, Romaharṣaṇa, who was a disciple of Śrīla Vyāsadeva. I became the disciple of these six authorities and thoroughly learned all their presentations of Purāṇic wisdom.

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.

Thorough Learning from Purāṇic Authorities

  1. 1

    Each of the six authorities studied one anthology of the Purāṇas from Romaharṣaṇa.

  2. 2

    Romaharṣaṇa, the speaker’s father, was a disciple of Śrīla Vyāsadeva.

  3. 3

    The speaker became a disciple of all six authorities and thoroughly learned their presentations of Purāṇic wisdom.

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. adhīyantathey have learned
  2. vyāsa-śiṣyātfrom the disciple of Vyāsadeva (Romaharṣaṇa)
  3. saṁhitāmthe collection of the Purāṇas
  4. mat-pituḥof my father
  5. mukhātfrom the mouth
  6. eka-ekāmeach learning one portion
  7. ahamI
  8. eteṣāmof these
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 12.7

    In this verse: “wisdom”

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 12.7

    In this verse: “father”

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 would thorough learning, rather than a quick reading, look like for you?

Practice

Reread this translation and summarize its account of learning in one sentence.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThorough Learning from Purāṇic AuthoritiesThis 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 12.7.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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