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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

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 9: Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord

12.9.12 12.9.14

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.13

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

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

अन्तर्बहिश्चाद्भ‍िरतिद्युभि: खरै:

शतह्रदाभिरुपतापितं जगत् ।

चतुर्विधं वीक्ष्य सहात्मना मुनि-

र्जलाप्लुतां क्ष्मां विमना: समत्रसत् ॥ १३ ॥

antar bahiś cādbhir ati-dyubhiḥ kharaiḥ

śatahradābhir upatāpitaṁ jagat

catur-vidhaṁ vīkṣya sahātmanā munir

jalāplutāṁ kṣmāṁ vimanāḥ samatrasat

Translation

The sage saw all the inhabitants of the universe, including himself, tormented within and without by the harsh winds, the bolts of lightning, and the great waves rising beyond the sky. As the whole earth flooded, he grew perplexed and fearful.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

All Living Beings Face the Flood

1
The sage saw all the inhabitants of the universe, including himself, tormented within and without.
2
Harsh winds, lightning and great waves flooded the earth, leaving him perplexed and fearful.
3
The purport explains four sources of birth for conditioned souls: embryos, eggs, seeds and perspiration.

Key points from the purport

Here the word catur-vidham refers to the four sources of birth for conditioned souls: embryos, eggs, seeds and perspiration.

The purport's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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.

antaḥinternally
bahiḥexternally
caand
adbhiḥby the water
ati-dyubhiḥrising higher than the sky
kharaiḥby the fierce (winds)
śata-hradābhiḥby lightning bolts
upatāpitamgreatly distressed

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: “fearful”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the sage’s fear help me understand about vulnerability?

Practice

Reflect for a moment on the distress of all the living beings described here, not only the sage.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAll Living Beings Face the FloodThis 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 12.9.13? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

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