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

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Canto 9 · Liberation · 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 9 · Chapter 12: The Dynasty of Kuśa, the Son of Lord Rāmacandra
9.12.59.12.7

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 9.12.6

Visarga· Brahmā's creation
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 9.12.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

सोऽसावास्ते योगसिद्ध: कलापग्राममास्थित: ।

कलेरन्ते सूर्यवंशं नष्टं भावयिता पुन: ॥ ६ ॥

so ’sāv āste yoga-siddhaḥ

kalāpa-grāmam āsthitaḥ

kaler ante sūrya-vaṁśaṁ

naṣṭaṁ bhāvayitā punaḥ

Translation

Having achieved perfection in the power of mystic yoga, Maru still lives in a place known as Kalāpa-grāma. At the end of Kali-yuga, he will revive the lost Sūrya dynasty by begetting a son.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Maru’s Perfection in Mystic Yoga

  1. 1

    Maru achieved a yoga-siddha body and still lives in Kalāpa-grāma. At the end of Kali-yuga, he will revive the lost Sūrya dynasty by begetting a son.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Prabhupāda explains that a perfect yogī can control the breath and continue living as long as he likes. Kali-yuga is calculated to last 432,000 years.

  3. 3

    A demonstration of some trifling mystic power does not constitute perfection. The purport presents Maru’s longevity as a factual example of perfection in mystic yoga.

Key points from the purport
  • At least five thousand years ago, Śrīla Śukadeva Gosvāmī ascertained the existence of Maru in Kalāpa-grāma and said that Maru, having achieved a yoga-siddha body, would continue to exist until the end of Kali-yuga, which is calculated to continue for 432,000 years.
  • If one becomes perfect in the practice of yoga, he can live as long as he likes.
  • Here is a factual example of perfection: a yoga-siddha can live as long as he likes.

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

Exile and separation → Loyalty and reunion. Duty, loss and sacrifice shape the dramatic center of this canto.

Chapters 10–12 of Canto 9: The pastimes of Lord Rāmacandra. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Dynasty of Kuśa, the Son of Lord Rāmacandra

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Maru attained full perfection in the practice of yoga, and he still lives in the village of Kalāpa. At the end of this Age of Kali, he will revive the dynasty of the sun-god.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 9.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. saḥhe
  2. asauthe personality known as Maru
  3. āstestill existing
  4. yoga-siddhaḥperfection in the power of mystic yoga
  5. kalāpa-grāmamthe place named Kalāpa-grāma
  6. āsthitaḥhe is still living there
  7. kaleḥof this Kali-yuga
  8. anteat the end
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Visarga · Subcreation

    How do living beings and their worlds appear? · Subject 2 of 10

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 the example of Maru challenge a casual understanding of perfection in yoga?

Practice

Write one sentence distinguishing a trifling display of mystic power from the perfection described here.

5

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 9.12's connections

Live this todayMaru’s Perfection in Mystic YogaThis 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 9.12.6? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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