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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

10.15.32 10.15.34

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.33

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

तेनाहतो महातालो वेपमानो बृहच्छिरा: ।

पार्श्वस्थं कम्पयन् भग्न: स चान्यं सोऽपि चापरम् ॥ ३३ ॥

tenāhato mahā-tālo

vepamāno bṛhac-chirāḥ

pārśva-sthaṁ kampayan bhagnaḥ

sa cānyaṁ so ’pi cāparam

Translation

Lord Balarāma threw the dead body of Dhenukāsura into the tallest palm tree in the forest, and when the dead demon landed in the treetop, the tree began shaking. The great palm tree, causing a tree by its side also to shake, broke under the weight of the demon. The neighboring tree caused yet another tree to shake, and this one struck yet another tree, which also began shaking. In this way many trees in the forest shook and broke.

Read the purport on Vedabase.io

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.

Lord Balarāma’s Mighty Throw

1
Lord Balarāma threw the dead body of Dhenukāsura into the tallest palm tree in the forest.
2
The tree shook and broke under the demon’s weight, setting off a chain reaction among neighboring trees.
3
Many towering palm trees shook and broke with a great crashing sound, showing the force of Lord Balarāma’s throw.

Key points from the purport

Lord Balarāma threw the demon Dhenuka so violently into the great palm tree that a chain reaction was unleashed, and many towering palm trees shook and then broke with a great crashing sound.

The purport'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

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