Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 10.36.3-4
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Demon’s Terror Causes Real Suffering
“My dear King, clouds hovered about sharp-horned Ariṣṭāsura’s hump, mistaking it for a mountain, and when the cowherd men and ladies caught sight of the demon, they were struck with terror. Indeed, the strident reverberation of his roar so frightened the pregnant cows and women that they lost their fetuses in miscarriages.”
What the purport teaches
- Clouds hovered about Ariṣṭāsura’s hump, mistaking it for a mountain. Seeing the sharp-horned demon terrified the cowherd men and women.
- His harsh roar frightened pregnant cows and women so severely that they suffered miscarriages.
- The purport explains the Vedic terms for premature delivery: up to the fourth month, srāva; in the fifth and sixth months, pāta; and afterward, birth, or prasūti.
Try this today
Pause while reading to acknowledge the suffering of both the people and the cows described here.
Ask yourself
How does this description help you recognize the suffering caused by the demon’s terror?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.