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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
  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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 12: The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura
10.12.1410.12.16

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.12.15

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

एते यदा मत्सुहृदोस्तिलाप:

कृतास्तदा नष्टसमा व्रजौकस: ।

प्राणे गते वर्ष्मसु का नु चिन्ता

प्रजासव: प्राणभृतो हि ये ते ॥ १५ ॥

ete yadā mat-suhṛdos tilāpaḥ

kṛtās tadā naṣṭa-samā vrajaukasaḥ

prāṇe gate varṣmasu kā nu cintā

prajāsavaḥ prāṇa-bhṛto hi ye te

Translation

Aghāsura thought: If somehow or other I can make Kṛṣṇa and His associates serve as the last offering of sesame and water for the departed souls of my brother and sister, then the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, for whom these boys are the life and soul, will automatically die. If there is no life, there is no need for the body; consequently, when their sons are dead, naturally all the inhabitants of Vraja will die.

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.

The Boys Were Vraja’s Life and Soul

  1. 1

    Aghāsura wanted to make Kṛṣṇa and His associates the last offering of sesame and water for his departed brother and sister.

  2. 2

    He knew that these boys were the life and soul of the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi.

  3. 3

    Aghāsura thought that if the boys died, all the inhabitants of Vraja would naturally die as well.

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:

Kṛṣṇa’s friends, the cowherd boys, thought that the demon’s form was one of the beautiful spots of Vṛndāvana. Thus they wanted to enter within the mouth of this gigantic python.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. etethis Kṛṣṇa and His associates, the cowherd boys
  2. yadāwhen
  3. mat-suhṛdoḥof my brother and sister
  4. tila-āpaḥ kṛtāḥbecome the last ritualistic ceremonial offering of sesame and water
  5. tadāat that time
  6. naṣṭa-samāḥwithout life
  7. vraja-okasaḥall the inhabitants of Vrajabhūmi, Vṛndāvana
  8. prāṇewhen the vital force
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

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does Aghāsura’s plan reveal about the inhabitants’ love for these boys?

Practice

Reread the phrase “life and soul” and pause to consider the depth of love it describes.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Boys Were Vraja’s Life and SoulThis 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 10.12.15? Get an answer from the verses themselves.