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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
12.9.28-2912.9.31-32

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.30

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

हिमालयं पुष्पवहां च तां नदीं

निजाश्रमं यत्र ऋषी अपश्यत ।

विश्वं विपश्यञ्छ्वसिताच्छिशोर्वै

बहिर्निरस्तो न्यपतल्ल‍याब्धौ ॥ ३० ॥

himālayaṁ puṣpavahāṁ ca tāṁ nadīṁ

nijāśramaṁ yatra ṛṣī apaśyata

viśvaṁ vipaśyañ chvasitāc chiśor vai

bahir nirasto nyapatal layābdhau

Translation

He saw before him the Himālaya Mountains, the Puṣpabhadrā River, and his own hermitage, where he had had the audience of the sages Nara-Nārāyaṇa. Then, as Mārkaṇḍeya beheld the entire universe, the infant exhaled, expelling the sage from His body and casting him back into the ocean of dissolution.

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 Sage Returns With the Lord’s Breath

  1. 1

    Mārkaṇḍeya saw the Himālaya Mountains, the Puṣpabhadrā River, and his own hermitage within the infant.

  2. 2

    He recognized the place where he had received the audience of the sages Nara-Nārāyaṇa.

  3. 3

    While he was beholding the entire universe, the infant exhaled. The sage was expelled from His body and cast back into the ocean of dissolution.

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:

After a moment the sage was carried out by the force of the child’s exhalation and hurled back into the ocean of annihilation. Then, seeing that the child on the leaf was actually Śrī Hari, the transcendental Lord situated within his own heart, Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya tried to embrace Him.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. himālayamthe Himālaya Mountains
  2. puṣpa-vahāmPuṣpabhadrā
  3. caand
  4. tāmthat
  5. nadīmriver
  6. nija-āśramamhis own hermitage
  7. yatrawhere
  8. ṛṣīthe two sages, Nara-Nārāyaṇa
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: “infant”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does the sage’s return through the infant’s breath deepen your wonder at the Lord?

Practice

Read the verse slowly, pausing at the moment when the infant’s exhalation returns the sage to the ocean.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Sage Returns With the Lord’s BreathThis 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 12.9.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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