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Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.

Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›

Canto 10 · Chapter 11: The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa

10.11.47 10.11.49

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.11.48

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.11.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

स वै बको नाम महानसुरो बकरूपधृक् ।

आगत्य सहसा कृष्णं तीक्ष्णतुण्डोऽग्रसद् बली ॥ ४८ ॥

sa vai bako nāma mahān

asuro baka-rūpa-dhṛk

āgatya sahasā kṛṣṇaṁ

tīkṣṇa-tuṇḍo ’grasad balī

Translation

That great-bodied demon was named Bakāsura. He had assumed the body of a duck with a very sharp beak. Having come there, he immediately swallowed Kṛṣṇa.

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This verse has no purport; its meaning is explained by the verses around it.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Bakāsura Suddenly Swallows Kṛṣṇa

1
The great-bodied demon was named Bakāsura.
2
He had assumed the body of a duck with a very sharp beak.
3
Upon coming there, Bakāsura immediately swallowed Kṛṣṇa. The verse presents the attack as sudden.

How it feels

Worry and play → Parental tenderness. The Supreme becomes the beloved child of His devotees.

Chapters 5–11 of Canto 10: Gokula, Yaśodā and the infant Lord. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Chapter 11: The Childhood Pastimes of Kṛṣṇa

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

During this time, a demon named Vatsāsura entered among the calves and was killed, and another asura, in the shape of a big duck, was also killed. The playmates of Kṛṣṇa narrated all these stories to their mothers.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.11