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Study a Verse

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

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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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 8: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Prayers to Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi

12.8.16 12.8.18-20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.8.17

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.8.6inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

ते वै तदाश्रमं जग्मुर्हिमाद्रे: पार्श्व उत्तरे ।

पुष्पभद्रा नदी यत्र चित्राख्या च शिला विभो ॥ १७ ॥

te vai tad-āśramaṁ jagmur

himādreḥ pārśva uttare

puṣpabhadrā nadī yatra

citrākhyā ca śilā vibho

Translation

O most powerful Śaunaka, they went to Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage, on the northern side of the Himālaya Mountains where the Puṣpabhadrā River passes by the famous peak Citrā.

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.

The Visitors Reach Mārkaṇḍeya’s Hermitage

1
Those sent by Indra went to Mārkaṇḍeya’s hermitage.
2
The hermitage was on the northern side of the Himālaya Mountains.
3
The Puṣpabhadrā River passed there beside the famous peak Citrā. This was the setting where the visitors approached the sage’s place of spiritual practice.

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

Chapter 8: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Prayers to Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

It seemed to Śaunaka that Mārkaṇḍeya had lived through two days of Brahmā, and he asked Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī to explain this. Suta Gosvāmī replied that the sage Mārkaṇḍeya, after receiving the purificatory ritual of brahminical initiation from his father, had fixed himself in the vow of lifelong celibacy.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.8