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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.
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Canto 10 · Chapter 12: The Killing of the Demon Aghāsura
10.12.2810.12.30

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.12.29

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

तदा घनच्छदा देवा भयाद्धाहेति चुक्रुशु: ।

जहृषुर्ये च कंसाद्या: कौणपास्त्वघबान्धवा: ॥ २९ ॥

tadā ghana-cchadā devā

bhayād dhā-heti cukruśuḥ

jahṛṣur ye ca kaṁsādyāḥ

kauṇapās tv agha-bāndhavāḥ

Translation

When Kṛṣṇa entered the mouth of Aghāsura, the demigods hidden behind the clouds exclaimed, “Alas! Alas!” But the friends of Aghāsura, like Kaṁsa and other demons, were jubilant.

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.

One Event, Opposite Responses

  1. 1

    Kṛṣṇa entered the mouth of Aghāsura.

  2. 2

    The demigods hidden behind the clouds exclaimed, “Alas! Alas!”

  3. 3

    Aghāsura’s friends, including Kaṁsa and other demons, were jubilant.

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:

Thus Kṛṣṇa encouraged all the demigods, and they expressed their pleasure and happiness. For a crooked, sinful person there is no scope for sāyujya-mukti, or becoming one with the effulgence of Kṛṣṇa, but because the Supreme Personality of Godhead entered the body of Aghāsura, by His touch this demon got the opportunity to merge into the existence of the Brahman effulgence and thus attain sāyujya-mukti.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.12
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tadāat that time
  2. ghana-chadāḥbehind the clouds
  3. devāḥall the demigods
  4. bhayāton account of feeling danger because Kṛṣṇa had entered the mouth of the demon
  5. hā-hāalas, alas
  6. itiin this way
  7. cukruśuḥthey exclaimed
  8. jahṛṣuḥbecame jubilant
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

  • Sakhya · Sacred friendship

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

    In this verse: “friends”

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What do these opposite reactions show about how each group regarded Kṛṣṇa?

Practice

Read the verse once more and name the two contrasting responses to Kṛṣṇa’s entrance.

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 todayOne Event, Opposite ResponsesThis 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 10.12.29? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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