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

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Canto 7 · The Science of God · 15 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 7 · Chapter 12: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes
7.12.237.12.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 7.12.24

Mukti· Liberation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Nārada Munisince 7.12.1inside 3 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King ParīkṣitNārada Muni → Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira

आत्मन्यग्नीन् समारोप्य सन्न्यस्याहं ममात्मताम् ।

कारणेषु न्यसेत् सम्यक्सङ्घातं तु यथार्हत: ॥ २४ ॥

ātmany agnīn samāropya

sannyasyāhaṁ mamātmatām

kāraṇeṣu nyaset samyak

saṅghātaṁ tu yathārhataḥ

Translation

He should properly place the fire element in his own self and in this way give up bodily affinity, by which one thinks the body to be one’s self or one’s own. One should gradually merge the material body into the five elements [earth, water, fire, air and sky].

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Know Yourself Beyond the Material Body

  1. 1

    The material body is a combination of earth, water, fire, air and sky.

  2. 2

    Merging the body into these elements means understanding perfectly that they are its material causes.

  3. 3

    One should give up thinking that the body is one's self or one's own. Perfect knowledge means understanding that one is not the body but a spiritual soul.

Key points from the purport
  • The body is an effect of a cause, namely the five material elements (earth, water, fire, air and sky).
  • In other words, one should know perfectly well that the material body is nothing but a combination of the five elements.
  • This knowledge constitutes merging of the material body and the five material elements.

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

Seriousness → Principled living. The example of bhakti becomes a guide to daily life.

Chapters 11–15 of Canto 7: Teachings on social and spiritual conduct. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Perfect Society: Four Spiritual Classes

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

He should wear tree bark, accept a daṇḍa, and practice life in the forest, taking a vow to live there for twelve years, eight years, four years, two years or at least one year. At last, when because of old age he can no longer perform the activities of a vānaprastha, he should gradually stop everything and in this way give up his body.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 7.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. ātmaniin one’s self
  2. agnīnthe fire elements within the body
  3. samāropyaproperly placing
  4. sannyasyagiving up
  5. ahamfalse identity
  6. mamafalse conception
  7. ātmatāmof the body’s being one’s self or one’s own
  8. kāraṇeṣuin the five elements that cause the material body
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Mukti · Liberation

    What is real freedom for the soul? · Subject 9 of 10

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 7.12

    In this verse: “knowledge”, “understanding”

  • Moha · Material attachment

    The pull of ego, desire and impermanent relationships. · Theme in SB 7.12

    In this verse: “material”

  • Vairāgya · Freedom from attachment

    Release from possessiveness and false identities. · Theme in SB 7.12

    In this verse: “give up”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

When do I most strongly mistake my body for my true self?

Practice

Pause today and reflect: “This body is a combination of five elements; I am a spiritual soul.”

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKnow Yourself Beyond the Material BodyThis 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 7.12.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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