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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

12.9.17-18 12.9.20

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.19

Nirodha· Winding up

Who is speaking and story frame

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

A turning point forMārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi· The cosmic flood

अयुतायुतवर्षाणां सहस्राणि शतानि च ।

व्यतीयुर्भ्रमतस्तस्मिन् विष्णुमायावृतात्मन: ॥ १९ ॥

ayutāyuta-varṣāṇāṁ

sahasrāṇi śatāni ca

vyatīyur bhramatas tasmin

viṣṇu-māyāvṛtātmanaḥ

Translation

Countless millions of years passed as Mārkaṇḍeya wandered about in that deluge, his mind bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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.

Bewildered by Lord Viṣṇu’s Illusory Energy

1
Mārkaṇḍeya wandered in the deluge for countless millions of years.
2
His mind was bewildered by the illusory energy of Lord Viṣṇu.
3
The verse identifies Lord Viṣṇu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead; the bewildering energy belongs to Him.

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:

This chapter describes Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi’s vision of the Supreme Personality of Godhead’s illusory energy. Satisfied by the prayers Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya had offered, the Supreme Lord told him to ask for a benediction, and the sage said he wanted to see the Lord’s illusory energy.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

ayutatens of thousands
ayutaby tens of thousands
varṣāṇāmof years
sahasrāṇithousands
śatānihundreds
caand
vyatīyuḥpassed by
bhramataḥas he wandered

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does knowing whose energy this is change my understanding of the deluge?

Practice

Read the verse once more, giving special attention to Lord Viṣṇu as the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayBewildered by Lord Viṣṇu’s Illusory EnergyThis 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.

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