Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.10.30-31
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesThe Battle Involves Many Powerful Opponents
“The demigod Aparājita fought with Namuci, and the two Aśvinī-kumāra brothers fought with Vṛṣaparvā. The sun-god fought with the one hundred sons of Mahārāja Bali, headed by Bāṇa, and the moon-god fought with Rāhu. The demigod controlling air fought with Puloma, and Śumbha and Niśumbha fought the supremely powerful material energy, Durgādevī, who is called Bhadra Kālī.”
What the purport teaches
- Aparājita fought with Namuci, and the two Aśvinī-kumāra brothers fought with Vṛṣaparvā.
- The sun-god fought Bali’s one hundred sons, headed by Bāṇa. The moon-god fought with Rāhu, and the demigod controlling air fought with Puloma.
- Śumbha and Niśumbha fought Durgādevī, the supremely powerful material energy, who is called Bhadra Kālī.
Try this today
Find one encounter involving brothers and one involving a hundred sons, and recall their opponents.
Ask yourself
What do the different numbers of combatants help you notice about these encounters?
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.