1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

Canto

Canto 12 · The Age of Deterioration · 13 chapters

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

Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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

12.8.38 12.8.40

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.8.39

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

सुखमासनमासीनौ प्रसादाभिमुखौ मुनी ।

पुनरानम्य पादाभ्यां गरिष्ठाविदमब्रवीत् ॥ ३९ ॥

sukham āsanam āsīnau

prasādābhimukhau munī

punar ānamya pādābhyāṁ

gariṣṭhāv idam abravīt

Translation

Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi once again bowed down at the lotus feet of those two most worshipable sages, who were sitting at ease, ready to bestow all mercy upon him. He then addressed Them as follows.

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.

Approach the Merciful Lord With Humility

1
The two most worshipable sages were sitting at ease.
2
They were ready to bestow all mercy upon Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi.
3
Mārkaṇḍeya again bowed down at Their lotus feet before addressing Them.

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:

Attaining Your lotus feet is the only auspicious goal for the conditioned souls, and service to You fulfills all their desires. Your pastimes, enacted in the mode of pure goodness, can award everyone salvation from material life.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

sukhamcomfortably
āsanamon sitting places
āsīnauseated
prasādamercy
abhimukhauready to give
munīto the Lord’s incarnation as the two sages
punaḥagain
ānamyabowing down

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
Bhakti · Devotion and loving service
How devotion reorganizes desire and action. · Theme in SB 12.8
In this verse: “worshipable”
Kṛpā · Divine mercy
Grace received beyond material calculations. · Theme in SB 12.8
In this verse: “mercy”

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does remembering the Lord’s readiness to give mercy affect the way you pray?

Practice

Before offering a prayer today, pause and bow respectfully to the Lord.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayApproach the Merciful Lord With HumilityThis 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 12.8.39? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories