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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 9: Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord

12.9.10 12.9.12

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.11

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.9.7inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तं चण्डशब्दं समुदीरयन्तं

बलाहका अन्वभवन् कराला: ।

अक्षस्थविष्ठा मुमुचुस्तडिद्भ‍ि:

स्वनन्त उच्चैरभिवर्षधारा: ॥ ११ ॥

taṁ caṇḍa-śabdaṁ samudīrayantaṁ

balāhakā anv abhavan karālāḥ

akṣa-sthaviṣṭhā mumucus taḍidbhiḥ

svananta uccair abhi varṣa-dhārāḥ

Translation

That wind created a terrible sound and brought in its wake fearsome clouds that were accompanied by lightning and roaring thunder and that poured down on all sides torrents of rain as heavy as wagon wheels.

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 Storm Becomes Terrifying

1
The wind created a terrible sound and brought fearsome clouds in its wake.
2
Lightning and roaring thunder accompanied the clouds.
3
Torrents of rain poured down on all sides, described as heavy as wagon wheels.

How it feels

Terror and bewilderment → Wonder and surrender. Annihilation gives way to a tender divine vision.

Chapters 9–10 of Canto 12: Mārkaṇḍeya witnesses the deluge and divine child. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 9: Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

With great difficulty Mārkaṇḍeya moved about all alone in this water for a long time, until he came upon a banyan tree. Lying upon a leaf of that tree was an infant boy glowing with a charming effulgence.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 12.9

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tamthat wind
caṇḍa-śabdama terrible sound
samudīrayantamwhich was creating
balāhakāḥclouds
anufollowing it
abhavanappeared
karālāḥfearful
akṣalike wagon wheels

Key ideas in this verse

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

Nirodha · Returning home, back to Godhead
What happens when everything here comes to an end? · Subject 8 of 10
Abhaya · Fearlessness
Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 12.9
In this verse: “fearsome”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

Which detail helps me most clearly appreciate the storm’s overwhelming force?

Practice

Read the translation slowly once more, noticing the wind, thunder and torrents of rain.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Storm Becomes TerrifyingThis 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 12.9.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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