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Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

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How to study this verse, in six steps
  1. 1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
  2. 2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
  3. 3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
  4. 4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
  5. 5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
  6. 6Write down what touched you. Note the main points in your own notebook.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 12: The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura
10.12.1310.12.15

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.12.14

Ūti· What drives us to act
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.12.1inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

द‍ृष्ट्वार्भकान् कृष्णमुखानघासुर:

कंसानुशिष्ट: स बकीबकानुज: ।

अयं तु मे सोदरनाशकृत्तयो-

र्द्वयोर्ममैनं सबलं हनिष्ये ॥ १४ ॥

dṛṣṭvārbhakān kṛṣṇa-mukhān aghāsuraḥ

kaṁsānuśiṣṭaḥ sa bakī-bakānujaḥ

ayaṁ tu me sodara-nāśa-kṛt tayor

dvayor mamainaṁ sa-balaṁ haniṣye

Translation

Aghāsura, who had been sent by Kaṁsa, was the younger brother of Pūtanā and Bakāsura. Therefore when he came and saw Kṛṣṇa at the head of all the cowherd boys, he thought, “This Kṛṣṇa has killed my sister and brother, Pūtanā and Bakāsura. Therefore, in order to please them both, I shall kill this Kṛṣṇa, along with His assistants, the other cowherd boys.”

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Aghāsura Plans Revenge Against Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    Aghāsura had been sent by Kaṁsa. He was the younger brother of Pūtanā and Bakāsura.

  2. 2

    Seeing Kṛṣṇa at the head of the cowherd boys, Aghāsura remembered that Kṛṣṇa had killed his sister and brother.

  3. 3

    Aghāsura planned to kill Kṛṣṇa and the cowherd boys, thinking this would please his sister and brother.

How it feels

Peril and pride → Friendship and humility. Divinity is revealed amid intimate childhood play.

Chapters 12–19 of Canto 10: Childhood dangers and Brahmā's amazement. An editorial reading of the story's mood, not the text itself. See the emotional arc

Further reading

Chapter 12: The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

While they were enjoying their picnic, Aghāsura, the younger brother of Pūtanā and Bakāsura, appeared there, desiring to kill Kṛṣṇa and His companions. The demon, who had been sent by Kaṁsa, assumed the form of a python, expanding himself to a length of eight miles and the height of a mountain, his mouth seeming to extend from the surface of the earth to the heavenly planets.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dṛṣṭvāafter seeing
  2. arbhakānall the cowherd boys
  3. kṛṣṇa-mukhānheaded by Kṛṣṇa
  4. aghāsuraḥthe demon by the name Aghāsura
  5. kaṁsa-anuśiṣṭaḥsent by Kaṁsa
  6. saḥhe (Aghāsura)
  7. bakī-baka-anujaḥthe younger brother of Pūtanā and Bakāsura
  8. ayamthis Kṛṣṇa
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Ūti · The creative impetus

    Why do we act, and what keeps us bound? · Subject 5 of 10

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

    The affection of companions and friends of the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.12

    In this verse: “cowherd boys”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Aghāsura’s plan reveal about where a desire for revenge can lead?

Practice

If resentment arises today, pause before acting and consider whether you are wishing harm rather than letting go of revenge.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

6

Connected stories

Keep going: stories told elsewhere in the Bhāgavatam that this verse or its purport brings in.

Found where this verse or Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport names them. See all of chapter 10.12's connections

Live this todayAghāsura Plans Revenge Against KṛṣṇaThis verse's lesson: one practice and one question for today

Study points are short summaries, not the translation. Confirm them in the original text and purport on Vedabase.

Ask the BhāgavatamHave a question about SB 10.12.14? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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