Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.10.10-12
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesBoth Armies Advanced on Varied Mounts
“O King, some soldiers fought on the backs of vultures, eagles, ducks, hawks and bhāsa birds. Some fought on the backs of timiṅgilas, which can devour huge whales, some on the backs of śarabhas, and some on buffalo, rhinoceroses, cows, bulls, jungle cows and aruṇas. Others fought on the backs of jackals, rats, lizards, rabbits, human beings, goats, black deer, swans and boars. In this way, mounted on animals of the water, land and sky, including animals with deformed bodies, both armies faced each other and went forward.”
What the purport teaches
- Some soldiers rode birds, including vultures, eagles, ducks, hawks and bhāsa birds.
- Other mounts included timiṅgilas, which can devour huge whales, as well as śarabhas and many other creatures.
- Mounted on animals of the water, land and sky, including animals with deformed bodies, both armies faced each other and advanced.
Try this today
Find one water, one land and one sky animal in the translation and note how each appears in the armies.
Ask yourself
How does this variety of mounts help me appreciate the scale of the battlefield description?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.