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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

1Chant the verse. Say the Sanskrit slowly and carefully.
2Read the word meanings. Go through each Sanskrit word and its meaning.
3Find the meaning yourself. Before the translation, piece the meaning together from the words.
4Read the translation. Ask: what is the Lord teaching here, and how does it apply to my life?
5Read the purport slowly. Read it two or three times. Don't rush.
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 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

10.15.27 10.15.29

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.28

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:The cowherd boyssince 10.15.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

बल: प्रविश्य बाहुभ्यां तालान् सम्परिकम्पयन् ।

फलानि पातयामास मतङ्गज इवौजसा ॥ २८ ॥

balaḥ praviśya bāhubhyāṁ

tālān samparikampayan

phalāni pātayām āsa

mataṅ-gaja ivaujasā

Translation

Lord Balarāma entered the Tāla forest first. Then with His two arms He began forcefully shaking the trees with the power of a maddened elephant, causing the tāla fruits to fall to the ground.

Read this verse on Vedabase.io

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

From Canto 10, chapter 14 onward, the translation and purports were completed by Śrīla Prabhupāda's disciples after his departure, and published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Balarāma Brings Down the Fruits

1
Lord Balarāma enters the Tāla forest first.
2
With His two arms, He forcefully shakes the palm trees.
3
His strength is compared to that of a maddened elephant. His shaking causes the tāla fruits to fall to the ground.

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

Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Arriving at the Tālavana, Lord Balarāma shook many fruits out of the palm trees, and as soon as He did so the jackass demon, Dhenuka, ran swiftly to attack Him. But Balarāma grabbed his hind legs with one hand, whirled him around and threw him into the top of a tree, thus slaying him.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.15