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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
12.9.512.9.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 12.9.6

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The sagesince 12.9.4inside 1 frame: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya

अथाप्यम्बुजपत्राक्ष पुण्यश्लोकशिखामणे ।

द्रक्ष्ये मायां यया लोक: सपालो वेद सद्भ‍िदाम् ॥ ६ ॥

athāpy ambuja-patrākṣa

puṇya-śloka-śikhāmaṇe

drakṣye māyāṁ yayā lokaḥ

sa-pālo veda sad-bhidām

Translation

O lotus-eyed Lord, O crest jewel of renowned personalities, although I am satisfied simply by seeing You, I do wish to see Your illusory potency, by whose influence the entire world, together with its ruling demigods, considers reality to be materially variegated.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

All Things Are the Lord’s Potencies

  1. 1

    Although satisfied simply by seeing the Lord, Mārkaṇḍeya wished to see His illusory potency.

  2. 2

    A conditioned soul sees the material world as made of independent, separate entities. Actually, all things are united as potencies of the Supreme Lord.

  3. 3

    Mārkaṇḍeya wanted to witness the exact process by which māyā, the Lord’s bewildering potency, casts living beings into illusion.

Key points from the purport
  • A conditioned soul sees the material world to be constituted of independent, separate entities.
  • Actually, all things are united, being potencies of the Supreme Lord.
  • Mārkaṇḍeya Ṛṣi is curious to witness the exact process by which māyā, the Lord’s bewildering potency, casts living beings into illusion.

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

Further reading

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

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

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. The Supreme Lord Śrī Hari, present before Mārkaṇḍeya in the form of Nara-Nārāyaṇa, replied, “So be it,” and then left for Badarikāśrama.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 12.9
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. atha apinonetheless
  2. ambuja-patralike the petals of a lotus
  3. akṣaO You whose eyes
  4. puṇya-ślokaof famous personalities
  5. śikhāmaṇeO crest jewel
  6. drakṣyeI desire to see
  7. māyāmthe illusory energy
  8. yayāby which
3

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

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 12.9

    In this verse: “materially”, “illusion”, “māyā”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When do I see things as independent of the Supreme Lord?

Practice

Choose one ordinary object and reflect that it is not independent of the Lord’s potencies.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAll Things Are the Lord’s PotenciesThis 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 12.9.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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