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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
3.11.173.11.19

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 3.11.18

Sthāna· The universe in order
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Maitreya Ṛṣisince 3.11.18inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitMaitreya Ṛṣi → Vidura

मैत्रेय उवाच

कृतं त्रेता द्वापरं च कलिश्चेति चतुर्युगम् ।

दिव्यैर्द्वादशभिर्वर्षै: सावधानं निरूपितम् ॥ १८ ॥

maitreya uvāca

kṛtaṁ tretā dvāparaṁ ca

kaliś ceti catur-yugam

divyair dvādaśabhir varṣaiḥ

sāvadhānaṁ nirūpitam

Translation

Maitreya said: O Vidura, the four millenniums are called the Satya-, Tretā-, Dvāpara- and Kali-yuga. The aggregate number of years of all of these combined is equal to twelve thousand years of the demigods.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Four Yugas Form One Vast Cycle

  1. 1

    Maitreya names the four millenniums as Satya-yuga, Tretā-yuga, Dvāpara-yuga and Kali-yuga.

  2. 2

    Together they comprise 12,000 years of the demigods, including the transitional periods called yuga-sandhyās.

  3. 3

    One year of the demigods equals 360 human years. The four yugas therefore total 4,320,000 human years.

Key points from the purport
  • The years of the demigods are equal to 360 years of humankind.
  • As will be clarified in the subsequent verses, 12,000 of the demigods’ years, including the transitional periods which are called yuga-sandhyās, comprise the total of the aforementioned four millenniums.
  • Thus the aggregate of the above-mentioned four millenniums is 4,320,000 years.

Śrīla Prabhupāda'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

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. maitreyaḥ uvācaMaitreya said
  2. kṛtamthe age of Satya
  3. tretāthe age of Tretā
  4. dvāparamthe age of Dvāpara
  5. caalso
  6. kaliḥthe Age of Kali
  7. caand
  8. itithus
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 this vast cycle affect your sense of the scale of time?

Practice

Write the four yugas in order, followed by their combined duration of 4,320,000 human years.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFour Yugas Form One Vast CycleThis 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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