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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.
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Canto 12 · Chapter 8: Mārkaṇḍeya’s Prayers to Nara-Nārāyaṇa Ṛṣi
12.8.2812.8.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.8.29

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

त इत्थमपकुर्वन्तो मुनेस्तत्तेजसा मुने ।

दह्यमाना निववृतु: प्रबोध्याहिमिवार्भका: ॥ २९ ॥

ta ittham apakurvanto

munes tat-tejasā mune

dahyamānā nivavṛtuḥ

prabodhyāhim ivārbhakāḥ

Translation

O learned Śaunaka, while Cupid and his followers tried to harm the sage, they felt themselves being burned alive by his potency. Thus they stopped their mischief, just like children who have aroused a sleeping snake.

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.

Harmful Mischief Meets the Sage’s Potency

  1. 1

    Cupid and his followers tried to harm the sage.

  2. 2

    Instead, they felt themselves being burned alive by his potency and stopped their mischief.

  3. 3

    Their situation is compared to children who have aroused a sleeping snake.

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 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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.8
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tethey
  2. itthamin this way
  3. apakurvantaḥtrying to do harm
  4. muneḥto the sage
  5. tathis
  6. tejasāby the potency
  7. muneO sage (Śaunaka)
  8. dahyamānāḥfeeling burned
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

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 12.8

    In this verse: “children”

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

Do I ever treat another person’s spiritual practice as something to interrupt or mock?

Practice

Protect someone’s time for spiritual practice today by leaving them undisturbed.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayHarmful Mischief Meets the Sage’s PotencyThis 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 12.8.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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