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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

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

12.9.33 12.10.1

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.34

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

तमन्वथ वटो ब्रह्मन् सलिलं लोकसम्प्लव: ।

तिरोधायि क्षणादस्य स्वाश्रमे पूर्ववत्स्थित: ॥ ३४ ॥

tam anv atha vaṭo brahman

salilaṁ loka-samplavaḥ

tirodhāyi kṣaṇād asya

svāśrame pūrva-vat sthitaḥ

Translation

After the Lord disappeared, O brāhmaṇa, the banyan tree, the great water and the dissolution of the universe all vanished as well, and in an instant Mārkaṇḍeya found himself back in his own hermitage, just as before.

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.

The Vision Vanishes, the Sage Returns

1
After the Lord disappeared, the banyan tree vanished as well.
2
The great water and the dissolution of the universe also disappeared.
3
In an instant, Mārkaṇḍeya found himself back in his own hermitage, just as before.

Key points from the purport

Thus end the purports of the humble servants of His Divine Grace A.C.
Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda to the Twelfth Canto, Ninth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi Sees the Illusory Potency of the Lord.”

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:

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.

tamHim
anufollowing
athathen
vaṭaḥthe banyan tree
brahmanO brāhmaṇa, Śaunaka
salilamthe water
loka-samplavaḥthe annihilation of the universe
tirodhāyithey disappeared

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

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What impresses you about Mārkaṇḍeya’s sudden return to his familiar hermitage?

Practice

Reread the verse and briefly reflect on everything that vanished before Mārkaṇḍeya found himself home again.

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Vision Vanishes, the Sage ReturnsThis 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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