1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

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

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 12: The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura
10.12.2310.12.25

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.12.24

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The boyssince 10.12.19inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अस्मान् किमत्र ग्रसिता निविष्टा-

नयं तथा चेद् बकवद् विनङ्‌क्ष्यति ।

क्षणादनेनेति बकार्युशन्मुखं

वीक्ष्योद्धसन्त: करताडनैर्ययु: ॥ २४ ॥

asmān kim atra grasitā niviṣṭān

ayaṁ tathā ced bakavad vinaṅkṣyati

kṣaṇād aneneti bakāry-uśan-mukhaṁ

vīkṣyoddhasantaḥ kara-tāḍanair yayuḥ

Translation

Then the boys said, “Has this living creature come to swallow us? If he does so, he will immediately be killed like Bakāsura, without delay.” Thus they looked at the beautiful face of Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Bakāsura, and, laughing loudly and clapping their hands, they entered the mouth of the python.

Read Śrīla Prabhupāda's purport on Vedabase.io
1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

The Boys Had Full Faith in Kṛṣṇa

  1. 1

    The boys had full faith in Kṛṣṇa because they had experienced how He saved them from the mouth of Bakāsura.

  2. 2

    They believed that if this creature swallowed them, Kṛṣṇa would immediately kill him, just as He had killed Bakāsura.

  3. 3

    Looking at Kṛṣṇa’s beautiful face, they laughed, clapped their hands, and entered the python’s mouth. They wanted to enjoy the sport of entering and being saved by Kṛṣṇa.

Key points from the purport
  • After talking about the terrible animal this way and that way, they decided to enter the demon’s mouth.
  • They had full faith in Kṛṣṇa because they had experienced how Kṛṣṇa had saved them from the mouth of Bakāsura.
  • Therefore, they wanted to enjoy the sport of entering the demon’s mouth and being saved by Kṛṣṇa, the enemy of Bakāsura.

Śrīla Prabhupāda's own sentences, chosen from the purport as its central points. Read the full purport on Vedabase to see them in place.

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. asmānall of us
  2. kimwhether
  3. atrahere
  4. grasitāwill swallow
  5. niviṣṭānwho have attempted to enter
  6. ayamthis animal
  7. tathāso
  8. cetif
3

Key ideas in this verse

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

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Rakṣā · Divine protection

    Protection of devotees through the Lord’s intervention. · Theme in SB 10.12

    In this verse: “saved”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What does the boys’ remembrance of Kṛṣṇa’s protection teach you about their faith in Him?

Practice

Spend a quiet minute remembering the boys’ full faith in Kṛṣṇa and their joyful attention to His beautiful face.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayThe Boys Had Full Faith in 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 10.12.24? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories