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

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Canto 8 · Withdrawal of the Cosmic Creations · 24 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 8 · Chapter 14: The System of Universal Management
8.14.108.15.1-2

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 8.14.11

Manvantara· The Manus and right duty
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 8.14.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

एतत् कल्पविकल्पस्य प्रमाणं परिकीर्तितम् ।

यत्र मन्वन्तराण्याहुश्चतुर्दश पुराविद: ॥ ११ ॥

etat kalpa-vikalpasya

pramāṇaṁ parikīrtitam

yatra manvantarāṇy āhuś

caturdaśa purāvidaḥ

Translation

In one kalpa, or one day of Brahmā, there take place the many changes called vikalpas. O King, all of these have been previously described to you by me. Learned scholars who know the past, present and future have ascertained that in one day of Brahmā there are fourteen Manus.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Fourteen Manus in One Day of Brahmā

  1. 1

    A kalpa is one day of Brahmā. Within that day, many changes take place.

  2. 2

    These changes are called vikalpas. The speaker reminds the King that they have already been described.

  3. 3

    Learned scholars who know the past, present and future have ascertained that fourteen Manus appear in one day of Brahmā.

Key points from the purport
  • Thus end the Bhaktivedanta purports of the Eighth Canto, Fourteenth Chapter, of the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, entitled “The System of Universal Management.”

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

Uncertainty → Cosmic order. The narrative resets the frame to cyclical cosmic governance.

Chapters 13–14 of Canto 8: Manus and universal management. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 14: The System of Universal Management

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

As Marīci and others, He creates progeny; as the king, He punishes the miscreants; and in the form of time, He annihilates the creation. One may argue, “If the all-powerful Supreme Personality of Godhead can do anything simply by His will, why has He arranged for so many personalities to manage?”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 8.14
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etatall these
  2. kalpain one day of Lord Brahmā
  3. vikalpasyaof the changes in a kalpa, such as the change of Manus
  4. pramāṇamevidences
  5. parikīrtitamdescribed (by me)
  6. yatrawherein
  7. manvantarāṇiperiods of Manu
  8. āhuḥsaid
  9. caturdaśafourteen
  10. purā-vidaḥlearned scholars
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Manvantara · The change of Manus

    What gives human life its right direction? · Subject 6 of 10

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 8.14

    In this verse: “king”

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

How does learning about the many changes within one day of Brahmā broaden your view of time?

Practice

Today, write a short reminder: “One kalpa is one day of Brahmā, with many changes and fourteen Manus.”

Live this todayFourteen Manus in One Day of BrahmāThis 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 8.14.11? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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