Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 8.10.38
Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devoteesA Battlefield Description Prompts Cosmological Discussion
“Because of the impact on the ground of the legs of the demons and demigods and the wheels of the chariots, particles of dust flew violently into the sky and made a dust cloud that covered all directions of outer space, as far as the sun. But when the particles of dust were followed by drops of blood being sprinkled all over space, the dust cloud could no longer float in the sky.”
What the purport teaches
- The fighters’ steps and chariot wheels raised a dust cloud that covered the horizon. Sprinkled blood then prevented the dust from remaining in the sky.
- Śrīla Prabhupāda observes that the blood is described as reaching the sun, not the moon. He connects this detail with Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam’s account of the sun being nearer the earth than the moon.
- Using the distances presented in the purport, he calculates that a capsule traveling at 18,000 miles per hour would need at least seven months to reach the moon. On that basis, he rejects a four-day journey.
Try this today
Mark the detail in the translation that begins the purport’s discussion, and summarize that connection in one sentence.
Ask yourself
How does Śrīla Prabhupāda connect a detail in the battle description with the cosmological account he presents?
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.