> > Srimad Bhagavatam - Canto 12
> > Sanskrit, word-for-word and original translation of Swami Prabhupâda
> > (for the purports one will have to consult the books under the copyright of the BBT)

> > *****

> > Canto 12: "The Age of Deterioration"

> > *****

> > Chapter Five: S'ukadeva Gosvâmî's Final Instructions to Mahârâja Parîkshit

> > TEXT 1

> > s'rî-s'uka uvâca

> > atrânuvarnyate 'bhîkshnam

> > vis'vâtmâ bhagavân harih

> > yasya prasâda-jo brahmâ

> > rudrah krodha-samudbhavah

> > s'rî-s'ukah uvâca-S'rî S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said; atra-in this S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam; anuvarnyate-is elaborately described; abhîkshnam-repeatedly; vis'va-âtmâ-the soul of the entire universe; bhagavân-the Supreme Personality of Godhead; harih-Lord Hari; yasya-of whom; prasâda-from the satisfaction; jah-born; brahmâ-Lord Brahmâ; rudrah-Lord S'iva; krodha-from the anger; samudbhavah-whose birth.

> > TRANSLATION

> > S'ukadeva Gosvâmî said: This S'rîmad-Bhâgavatam has elaborately described in various narrations the Supreme Soul of all that be-the Personality of Godhead, Hari-from whose satisfaction Brahmâ is born and from whose anger Rudra takes birth.

> > *****

> > TEXT 2

> > tvam tu râjan marishyeti

> > pas'u-buddhim imâm jahi

> > na jâtah prâg abhûto 'dya

> > deha-vat tvam na nankshyasi

> > tvam-you; tu-but; râjan-O King; marishye-I am about to die; iti-thus thinking; pas'u-buddhim-animalistic mentality; imâm-this; jahi-give up; na-not; jâtah-born; prâk-previously; abhûtah-nonexistent; adya-today; deha-vat-like the body; tvam-you; na nankshyasi-will not be destroyed.

> > TRANSLATION

> > O King, give up the animalistic mentality of thinking, "I am going lo die." Unlike the body, you have not taken birth. There was not a time in the past when you did not exist, and you are not about to be destroyed.

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> > TEXT 3

> > na bhavishyasi bhûtvâ tvam

> > putra-pautrâdi-rûpavân

> > bîjânkura-vad dehâder

> > vyatirikto yathânalah

> > na bhavishyasi-you will not come into being; bhûtvâ-becoming; tvam-you; putra-of children; pautra-grandchildren; âdi-and so on; rûpa-vân-assuming the forms; bîja-the seed; ankura-and the sprout; vat-like; deha-âdeh-from the material body and its paraphernalia; vyatiriktah-distinct; yathâ-as; analah-the fire (from the wood).

> > TRANSLATION

> > You will not take birth again in the form of your sons and grandsons, like a sprout taking birth from a seed and then generating a new seed. Rather, you are entirely distinct from the material body and its paraphernalia, in the same way that fire is distinct from its fuel.

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> > TEXT 4

> > svapne yathâ s'iras'-chedam

> > pan'catvâdy âtmanah svayam

> > yasmât pas'yati dehasya

> > tata âtmâ hy ajo 'marah

> > svapne-in a dream; yathâ-as; s'irah-of one's head; chedam-the cutting off; pan'catva-âdi-the condition of being composed of the five material elements, and other material conditions; âtmanah-one's own; svayam-oneself; yasmât-because; pas'yati-one sees; dehasya-of the body; tatah-therefore; âtmâ-the soul; hi-certainly; ajah-unborn; amarah-immortal.

> > TRANSLATION

> > In a dream one can see his own head being cut off and thus understand that his actual self is standing apart from the dream experience. Similarly, while awake one can see that his body is a product of the five material elements. Therefore it is to be understood that the actual self, the soul, is distinct from the body it observes and is unborn and immortal.

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> > TEXT 5

> > ghathe bhinne ghathâkâs'a

> > âkâs'ah syâd yathâ purâ

> > evam dehe mrite jîvo

> > brahma sampadyate punah

> > ghathe-a pot; bhinne-when it is broken; ghâtha-âkâs'ah-the sky within the pot; âkâs'ah-sky; syât-remains; yathâ-as; purâ-previously; evam-similarly; dehe-the body; mrite-when it is given up, in the liberated condition; jîvah-the individual soul; brahma-his spiritual status; sampadyate-attains; punah-once again.

> > TRANSLATION

> > When a pot is broken, the portion of sky within the pot remains as the element sky, just as before. In the same way, when the gross and subtle bodies die, the living entity within resumes his spiritual identity.

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> > TEXT 6

> > manah srijati vai dehân

> > gunân karmâni câtmanah

> > tan manah srijate mâyâ

> > tato jîvasya samsritih

> > manah-the mind; srijati-produces; vai-indeed; dehân-the material bodies; gunân-the qualities; karmâni-the activities; ca-and; âtmanah-of the soul; tat-that; manah-mind; srijate-produces; mâyâ-the illusory potency of the Supreme Lord; tatah-thus; jîvasya-of the individual living being; samsritih-the material existence.

> > TRANSLATION

> > The material bodies, qualities and activities of the spirit soul are created by the material mind. That mind is itself created by the illusory potency of the Supreme Lord, and thus the soul assumes material existence.

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> > TEXT 7

> > snehâdhishthhâna-varty-agni-

> > samyogo yâvad îyate

> > tâvad dîpasya dîpatvam

> > evam deha-krito bhavah

> > rajah-sattva-tamo-vrittyâ

> > jâyate 'tha vinas'yati

> > sneha-of the oil; adhishthhâna-the vessel; varti-the wick; agni-and the fire; samyogah-the combination; yâvat-to which extent; îyate-is seen; tâvat-to that extent; dîpasya-of the lamp; dîpatvam-the status of functioning as a lamp; evam-similarly; deha-kritah-due to the material body; bhavah-material existence; rajah-sattva-tamah-of the modes of passion, goodness and ignorance; vrittyâ-by the action; jâyate-arises; atha-and; vinas'yati-is destroyed.

> > TRANSLATION

> > A lamp functions as such only by the combination of its fuel, vessel, wick and fire. Similarly, material life, based on the soul's identification with the body, is developed and destroyed by the workings of material goodness, passion and ignorance, which are the constituent elements of the body.

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> > TEXT 8

> > na tatrâtmâ svayam-jyotir

> > yo vyaktâvyaktayoh parah

> > âkâs'a iva câdhâro

> > dhruvo 'nantopamas tatah

> > na-not; tatra-there; âtmâ-the soul; svayam-jyotih-self-luminous; yah-who; vyakta-avyaktayoh-from the manifest and the unmanifest (the gross and subtle bodies); parah-different; âkâs'ah-the sky; iva-as; ca-and; âdhârah-the basis; dhruvah-fixed; ananta-without end; upamah-or comparison; tatah-thus.

> > TRANSLATION

> > The soul within the body is self-luminous and is separate from the visible gross body and invisible subtle body. It remains as the fixed basis of changing bodily existence, just as the ethereal sky is the unchanging background of material transformation. Therefore the soul is endless and without material comparison.

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> > TEXT 9

> > evam âtmânam âtma-stham

> > âtmanaivâmris'a prabho

> > buddhyânumâna-garbhinyâ

> > vâsudevânucintayâ

> > evam-in this way; âtmânam-your true self; âtma-stham-situated within the bodily covering; âtmanâ-with your mind; eva-indeed; âmris'a-consider carefully; prabho-O master of the self (King Parîkshit); buddhyâ-with intelligence; anumâna-garbhinyâ-conceived by logic; vâsudeva-anucintayâ-with meditation upon Lord Vâsudeva.

> > TRANSLATION

> > My dear King, by constantly meditating upon the Supreme Lord, Vâsudeva, and by applying clear and logical intelligence, you should carefully consider your true self and how it is situated within the material body.

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> > TEXT 10

> > codito vipra-vâkyena

> > na tvâm dhakshyati takshakah

> > mrityavo nopadhakshyanti

> > mrityûnâm mrityum îs'varam

> > coditah-sent; vipra-vâkyena-by the words of the brâhmana; na-not; tvâm-you; dhakshyati-will burn; takshakah-the snake-bird Takshaka; mrityavah-the agents of death personified; na upadhakshyanti-cannot burn; mrityûnâm-of these causes of death; mrityum-the very death; îs'varam-the master of the self.

> > TRANSLATION

> > The snake-bird Takshaka, sent by the curse of the brâhmana, will not burn your true self. The agents of death will never burn such a master of the self as you, for you have already conquered all dangers on your path back to Godhead.

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> > TEXTS 11 & 12

> > aham brahma param dhâma

> > brahmâham paramam padam

> > evam samîkshya câtmânam

> > âtmany âdhâya nishkale

> > das'antam takshakam pâde

> > lelihânam vishânanaih

> > na drakshyasi s'arîram ca

> > vis'vam ca prithag âtmanah

> > aham-I; brahma-the Absolute Truth; param-supreme; dhâma-the abode; brahma-the Absolute Truth; aham-I; paramam-the supreme; padam-destination; evam-thus; samîkshya-considering; ca-and; âtmânam-yourself; âtmani-in the Supreme Self; âdhâya-placing; nishkale-which is free from material designation;

> > das'antam-biting; takshakam-Takshaka; pâde-upon your foot; lelihânam-the snake, licking his lips; visha-ânanaih-with his mouth full of poison; na drakshyasi-you will not even notice; s'arîram-your body; ca-and; vis'vam-the entire material world; ca-and; prithak-separate; âtmanah-from the self.

> > TRANSLATION

> > You should consider, "I am nondifferent from the Absolute Truth, the supreme abode, and that Absolute Truth, the supreme destination, is nondifferent from me." Thus resigning yourself to the Supreme Soul, who is free from all material misidentifications, you will not even notice the snake-bird Takshaka when he approaches with his poison-filled fangs and bites your foot. Nor will you see your dying body or the material world around you, because you will have realized yourself to be separate from them.

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> > TEXT 13

> > etat te kathitam tâta

> > yad âtmâ prishthavân nripa

> > harer vis'vâtmanas' ceshthâm

> > kim bhûyah s'rotum icchasi

> > etat-this; te-to you; kathitam-narrated; tâta-my dear Parîkshit; yat-which; âtmâ-you; prishthavân-inquired; nripa-O King; hareh-of the Supreme Personality of Godhead; vis'va-âtmanah-of the Soul of the universe; ceshthâm-the pastimes; kim-what; bhûyah-further; s'rotum-to hear; icchasi-do you wish.

> > TRANSLATION

> > Beloved King Parîkshit, I have narrated to you the topics you originally inquired about-the pastimes of Lord Hari, the Supreme Soul of the universe. Now, what more do you wish to hear?

> Back to the running text