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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 12 · Chapter 9: Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord
12.9.2612.9.28-29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.27

Āśraya· The supreme shelter
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Sūta Gosvāmīsince 12.9.7inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

तावच्छिशोर्वै श्वसितेन भार्गव:

सोऽन्त: शरीरं मशको यथाविशत् ।

तत्राप्यदो न्यस्तमचष्ट कृत्‍स्‍नशो

यथा पुरामुह्यदतीव विस्मित: ॥ २७ ॥

tāvac chiśor vai śvasitena bhārgavaḥ

so ’ntaḥ śarīraṁ maśako yathāviśat

tatrāpy ado nyastam acaṣṭa kṛtsnaśo

yathā purāmuhyad atīva vismitaḥ

Translation

Just then the child inhaled, drawing Mārkaṇḍeya within His body like a mosquito. There the sage found the entire universe arrayed as it had been before its dissolution. Seeing this, Mārkaṇḍeya was most astonished and perplexed.

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.

The Entire Universe Within the Child

  1. 1

    When the child inhaled, Mārkaṇḍeya was drawn within His body like a mosquito.

  2. 2

    Inside, the sage saw the entire universe arranged as it had been before its dissolution.

  3. 3

    This sight left Mārkaṇḍeya deeply astonished and perplexed.

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

Further reading

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Inside the boy’s body, Mārkaṇḍeya was amazed to see the entire universe just as it had been before the annihilation. After a moment the sage was carried out by the force of the child’s exhalation and hurled back into the ocean of annihilation.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tāvatat that very moment
  2. śiśoḥof the infant
  3. vaiindeed
  4. śvasitenawith the breathing
  5. bhārgavaḥthe descendant of Bhṛgu
  6. saḥhe
  7. antaḥ śarīramwithin the body
  8. maśakaḥa mosquito
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Āśraya · The summum bonum

    Who is the shelter of everything? · Subject 10 of 10

  • Vātsalya · Parental affection

    Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 12.9

    In this verse: “child”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What strikes you about the entire universe being present within this infant?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute reflecting on the contrast between the tiny infant and the entire universe within Him.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Entire Universe Within the ChildThis 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 12.9.27? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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