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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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Choose a chapter to see all its verses.

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
10.15.3910.15.41

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.15.40

Poṣaṇa· The Lord's protection
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:The cowherd boyssince 10.15.21inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

अथ तालफलान्यादन्मनुष्या गतसाध्वसा: ।

तृणं च पशवश्चेरुर्हतधेनुककानने ॥ ४० ॥

atha tāla-phalāny ādan

manuṣyā gata-sādhvasāḥ

tṛṇaṁ ca paśavaś cerur

hata-dhenuka-kānane

Translation

People now felt free to return to the forest where Dhenuka had been killed, and without fear they ate the fruits of the palm trees. Also, the cows could now graze freely upon the grass there.

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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Freedom From Fear in the Forest

  1. 1

    After Dhenuka was killed, people could return to the forest and eat the palm fruits without fear.

  2. 2

    The cows could also graze freely upon the grass there.

  3. 3

    The purport explains that people such as the pulindas ate the fruits. Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boyfriends considered them undesirable because they were tainted with the asses’ blood.

Key points from the purport
  • According to the ācāryas, low-class people such as the pulindas ate the fruits of the palm trees, but Kṛṣṇa’s cowherd boyfriends considered them undesirable, since they had been tainted with the blood of the asses.

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

Further reading

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 summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.15
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathen
  2. tālaof the palm trees
  3. phalānithe fruits
  4. ādanate
  5. manuṣyāḥthe human beings
  6. gata-sādhvasāḥhaving lost their fear
  7. tṛṇamupon the grass
  8. caand
3

Key ideas in this verse

The subject this verse serves and the themes it speaks of.

  • Poṣaṇa · Protection by the Lord

    How does the Lord care for His devotees? · Subject 4 of 10

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.15

    In this verse: “fear”

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 changes for the people and cows help you appreciate the outcome of Dhenuka’s defeat?

Practice

Name the two freedoms described in the translation: eating without fear and grazing freely.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayFreedom From Fear in the ForestThis 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 10.15.40? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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