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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

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

12.8.21 12.8.23

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.8.22

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

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

अन्वीयमानो गन्धर्वैर्गीतवादित्रयूथकै: ।

अद‍ृश्यतात्तचापेषु: स्व:स्त्रीयूथपति: स्मर: ॥ २२ ॥

anvīyamāno gandharvair

gīta-vāditra-yūthakaiḥ

adṛśyatātta-cāpeṣuḥ

svaḥ-strī-yūtha-patiḥ smaraḥ

Translation

Cupid, the master of many heavenly women, then came there holding his bow and arrows. He was followed by groups of Gandharvas playing musical instruments and singing.

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.

Cupid Arrives With Music and Weapons

1
Cupid, the master of many heavenly women, came to the hermitage.
2
He held his bow and arrows, prepared for his attempt against the sage.
3
Groups of Gandharvas followed him, playing musical instruments and singing.

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:

In the seventh manvantara, Lord Indra sent Kāmadeva (Cupid) and his associates to interrupt the sage’s austerities. But Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi defeated them by the potency generated from his penance.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

anvīyamānaḥbeing followed
gandharvaiḥby Gandharvas
gītaof singers
vāditraand players of musical instruments
yūthakaiḥby companies
adṛśyatawas seen
āttaholding up
cāpa-iṣuḥhis bow and arrows

Key ideas in this verse

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

Ūti · The creative impetus
Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which sounds or entertainments most easily draw me away from spiritual attention?

Practice

Set aside one distracting form of entertainment during your spiritual practice today.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayCupid Arrives With Music and WeaponsThis 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 12.8.22? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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