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

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Canto 3 · The Status Quo · 33 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.
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Canto 3 · Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom
3.11.113.11.13

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.12

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.10.11inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

अयने चाहनी प्राहुर्वत्सरो द्वादश स्मृत: ।

संवत्सरशतं नृणां

परमायुर्निरूपितम् ॥ १२ ॥

ayane cāhanī prāhur

vatsaro dvādaśa smṛtaḥ

saṁvatsara-śataṁ nṝṇāṁ

paramāyur nirūpitam

Translation

Two solar movements make one day and night of the demigods, and that combination of day and night is one complete calendar year for the human being. The human being has a duration of life of one hundred years.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

A Human Year Is a Demigod Day

  1. 1

    Two solar movements make one complete day and night of the demigods.

  2. 2

    That same period is one complete calendar year for human beings.

  3. 3

    The human duration of life is stated as one hundred years.

How it feels

Mystery → Cosmic wonder. The origin of the world is revealed through inquiry and divine grace.

Chapters 5–12 of Canto 3: Creation and Brahmā's bewilderment. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 11: Calculation of Time, from the Atom

Maitreya describes time from atomic measurements to Brahmā’s lifespan, along with cycles of creation and devastation.

Back to this verse in chapter 3.11
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ayanein the solar movement (of six months)
  2. caand
  3. ahanīa day of the demigods
  4. prāhuḥit is said
  5. vatsaraḥone calendar year
  6. dvādaśatwelve months
  7. smṛtaḥis so called
  8. saṁvatsara-śatamone hundred years
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Sthāna · Planetary systems

    How is the universe arranged, and what is our right place in it? · Subject 3 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

How does considering a human lifetime of one hundred years affect your view of passing time?

Practice

Pause for one minute today to reflect on the limited duration of human life.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayA Human Year Is a Demigod DayThis 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 3.11.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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