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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

10.15.34 10.15.36

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.35

Āśraya· The supreme shelter

Who is speaking and story frame

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

नैतच्चित्रं भगवति ह्यनन्ते जगदीश्वरे ।

ओतप्रोतमिदं यस्मिंस्तन्तुष्वङ्ग यथा पट: ॥ ३५ ॥

naitac citraṁ bhagavati

hy anante jagad-īśvare

ota-protam idaṁ yasmiṁs

tantuṣv aṅga yathā paṭaḥ

Translation

My dear Parīkṣit, that Lord Balarāma killed Dhenukāsura is not such a wonderful thing, considering that He is the unlimited Personality of Godhead, the controller of the entire universe. Indeed, the entire cosmos rests upon Him just as a woven cloth rests upon its own horizontal and vertical threads.

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.

Unlimited Power, Effortlessly Displayed

1
Lord Balarāma is the unlimited Personality of Godhead and controller of the universe. The cosmos rests upon Him as cloth rests upon its threads.
2
The Supreme Lord possesses unlimited potency and strength, yet displays only a tiny fraction according to the situation.
3
Lord Balarāma showed just enough divine power to easily vanquish the demons who had unlawfully seized the Tālavana forest.

Key points from the purport

Unfortunate persons cannot appreciate the blissful pastimes of the Supreme Lord.
In this connection Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī explains that the Supreme Lord possesses unlimited potency and strength, as expressed here by the word anante.
Lord Balarāma desired to vanquish the gang of demoniac asses who had unlawfully seized the Tālavana forest, and therefore He exhibited just enough divine opulence to easily kill Dhenukāsura and the other demons.

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

Connected verses· 1

Quoted in the purport ofCC Ādi 13.77

This is a verse from Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (10.15.35).

Each link is a verse the purport itself quotes, or a purport elsewhere that quotes this verse, shown with the purport's own words.

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:

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. When Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma returned to the cowherd community, Yaśodā and Rohiṇī placed Them on their respective laps.

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