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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.12.2210.12.24

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.12.23

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The boyssince 10.12.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

दावोष्णखरवातोऽयं श्वासवद्भ‍ाति पश्यत ।

तद्दग्धसत्त्वदुर्गन्धोऽप्यन्तरामिषगन्धवत् ॥ २३ ॥

dāvoṣṇa-khara-vāto ’yaṁ

śvāsavad bhāti paśyata

tad-dagdha-sattva-durgandho

’py antar-āmiṣa-gandhavat

Translation

The hot fiery wind is the breath coming out of his mouth, which is giving off the bad smell of burning flesh because of all the dead bodies he has eaten.

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 Breath Revealed What He Had Eaten

  1. 1

    The hot, fiery wind was the breath coming out of the animal’s mouth.

  2. 2

    His mouth gave off the bad smell of burning flesh.

  3. 3

    This smell came from all the dead bodies he had eaten.

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 knew everything about Aghāsura, and therefore He wanted to forbid His friends to enter the demon’s mouth, but in the meantime all the cowherd boys, along with their groups of calves, entered the mouth of that gigantic figure. Kṛṣṇa was waiting outside, and Aghāsura was waiting for Kṛṣṇa, thinking that as soon as Kṛṣṇa entered he would close his mouth so that everyone would die.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. dāva-uṣṇa-khara-vātaḥ ayamhot breath coming out exactly like fire
  2. śvāsa-vat bhāti paśyatajust see how it resembles his breath
  3. tat-dagdha-sattvaof burning corpses
  4. durgandhaḥthe bad smell
  5. apiindeed
  6. antaḥ-āmiṣa-gandha-vatis like the fleshy smell coming out from within
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Īśānukathā · The science of God

    Who is the Lord, and how do His devotees live? · Subject 7 of 10

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What did the animal’s breath reveal about what was inside him?

Practice

Read the verse once and note how it connects the hot wind, the smell, and their source.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Breath Revealed What He Had EatenThis 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 10.12.23? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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