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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 ›

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.12

Who is speaking and story frame

अथ व्रजे महोत्पातास्त्रिविधा ह्यतिदारुणा: ।

उत्पेतुर्भुवि दिव्यात्मन्यासन्नभयशंसिन: ॥ १२ ॥

atha vraje mahotpātās

tri-vidhā hy ati-dāruṇāḥ

utpetur bhuvi divy ātmany

āsanna-bhaya-śaṁsinaḥ

Translation

In the Vṛndāvana area there then arose all three types of fearful omens — those on the earth, those in the sky and those in the bodies of living creatures — which announced imminent danger.

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.

Omens Announce Imminent Danger

  1. 1

    Three types of fearful omens arose in Vṛndāvana: on the earth, in the sky and in living creatures’ bodies.

  2. 2

    Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī explains that the earthly disturbances were tremors, while meteors fell in the sky.

  3. 3

    Living creatures experienced shivering and quivering of the left eye and other body parts. These omens announced imminent danger.

Key points from the purport
  • According to Śrīla Śrīdhara Svāmī, the omens were as follows: on the earth there were disturbing tremors, in the sky there were meteors falling, and in the bodies of creatures there was shivering, as well as quivering of the left eye and other parts of the body.

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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

At that time all sorts of evil omens appeared in Vraja, such as earth tremors, falling stars and the trembling of various creatures’ left limbs. The residents of Vṛndāvana thought, “Today Kṛṣṇa went to the forest without Balarāma, so we do not know what great misfortune may have befallen Him.”
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. athathen
  2. vrajein Vṛndāvana
  3. mahā-utpātāḥvery ominous disturbances
  4. tri-vidhāḥof the three varieties
  5. hiindeed
  6. ati-dāruṇāḥmost fearsome
  7. utpetuḥarose
  8. bhuviupon the earth
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

  • Abhaya · Fearlessness

    Steadiness through faith amid danger and death. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “fearful”, “danger”

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

How does this description help you understand the fear arising in Vṛndāvana?

Practice

Reread the translation and identify the three places where the omens appeared.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayOmens Announce Imminent DangerThis 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 10.16.12? Get an answer from the verses themselves.