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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.
Read the full guide: how to hear the Bhāgavatam ›
Canto 10 · Chapter 15: The Killing of Dhenuka, the Ass Demon
10.15.3610.15.38

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.37

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

तांस्तानापतत: कृष्णो रामश्च नृप लीलया ।

गृहीतपश्चाच्चरणान् प्राहिणोत्तृणराजसु ॥ ३७ ॥

tāṁs tān āpatataḥ kṛṣṇo

rāmaś ca nṛpa līlayā

gṛhīta-paścāc-caraṇān

prāhiṇot tṛṇa-rājasu

Translation

O King, as the demons attacked, Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma easily seized them one after another by their hind legs and threw them all into the tops of the palm trees.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma Easily Defeat the Demons

  1. 1

    The ass demons continued their attack upon Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma.

  2. 2

    The two brothers easily seized the attacking demons one after another by their hind legs.

  3. 3

    Kṛṣṇa and Balarāma threw all the demons into the tops of the palm trees.

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 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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. tān tānall of them, one by one
  2. āpatataḥattacking
  3. kṛṣṇaḥLord Kṛṣṇa
  4. rāmaḥLord Balarāma
  5. caand
  6. nṛpaO King
  7. līlayāeasily
  8. gṛhītaseizing
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

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.15

    In this verse: “king”

Chapter themes come from the story phase this chapter belongs to.

4

Live it

Take one thing from this verse into your day.

Ask yourself

What stands out to you about the ease with which the brothers met the attack?

Practice

Read this verse aloud once, noticing the word “easily” in the description of the brothers’ actions.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayKṛṣṇa and Balarāma Easily Defeat the DemonsThis 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 10.15.37? Get an answer from the verses themselves.