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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

10.15.31 10.15.33

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.32

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

स तं गृहीत्वा प्रपदोर्भ्रामयित्वैकपाणिना ।

चिक्षेप तृणराजाग्रे भ्रामणत्यक्तजीवितम् ॥ ३२ ॥

sa taṁ gṛhītvā prapador

bhrāmayitvaika-pāṇinā

cikṣepa tṛṇa-rājāgre

bhrāmaṇa-tyakta-jīvitam

Translation

Lord Balarāma seized Dhenuka by his hooves, whirled him about with one hand and threw him into the top of a palm tree. The violent wheeling motion killed the demon.

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 Defeats Dhenuka with One Hand

1
Lord Balarāma seizes Dhenuka by his hooves.
2
He whirls the demon about with a single hand. This violent wheeling motion kills Dhenuka.
3
Lord Balarāma throws the demon into the top of a palm tree.

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:

But Balarāma grabbed his hind legs with one hand, whirled him around and threw him into the top of a tree, thus slaying him. All of Dhenukāsura’s friends, overcome by fury, then rushed to attack, but Rāma and Kṛṣṇa took hold of them one by one, swung them around and killed them, until the disturbance was finally finished.

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