1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter

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

12.9.31-32 12.9.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.33

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

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

तावत् स भगवान् साक्षाद् योगाधीशो गुहाशय: ।

अन्तर्दध ऋषे: सद्यो यथेहानीशनिर्मिता ॥ ३३ ॥

tāvat sa bhagavān sākṣād

yogādhīśo guhā-śayaḥ

antardadha ṛṣeḥ sadyo

yathehānīśa-nirmitā

Translation

At that moment the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who is the original master of all mysticism and who is hidden within everyone’s heart, became invisible to the sage, just as the achievements of an incompetent person can suddenly vanish.

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 Lord Is Hidden Within Every Heart

1
The infant is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the original master of all mysticism.
2
He is hidden within everyone’s heart, yet at that moment He became invisible to Mārkaṇḍeya.
3
His sudden disappearance is compared to the achievements of an incompetent person suddenly vanishing.

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:

But at that moment Lord Hari, the master of all mystic power, disappeared. Then the waters of annihilation disappeared as well, and Śrī Mārkaṇḍeya found himself in his own āśrama, just as before.

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

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

tāvatjust then
saḥHe
bhagavānthe Personality of Godhead
sākṣātdirectly
yoga-adhīśaḥthe supreme master of yoga
guhā-śayaḥwho is hidden within the heart of all living beings
antardadhedisappeared
ṛṣeḥin front of the sage

Key ideas in this verse

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

Īśānukathā · The science of God
Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10
Vātsalya · Parental affection
Affection and protective concern for the Lord as a child. · Theme in SB 12.9
In this verse: “infant”

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How might remembering the Lord within everyone’s heart shape your attitude toward others?

Practice

Before one conversation today, pause to remember that the Lord is hidden within the other person’s heart.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Lord Is Hidden Within Every HeartThis 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 12.9.33? Get an answer from the verses themselves.

Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories