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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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya
10.16.110.16.3

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.2

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees
Who is speaking and story frame
Speaking:King Parīkṣitsince 10.16.2inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

श्रीराजोवाच

कथमन्तर्जलेऽगाधे न्यगृह्णाद् भगवानहिम् ।

स वै बहुयुगावासं यथासीद् विप्र कथ्यताम् ॥ २ ॥

śrī-rājovāca

katham antar-jale ’gādhe

nyagṛhṇād bhagavān ahim

sa vai bahu-yugāvāsaṁ

yathāsīd vipra kathyatām

Translation

King Parīkṣit inquired: O learned sage, please explain how the Supreme Personality of Godhead chastised the serpent Kāliya within the unfathomable waters of the Yamunā, and how it was that Kāliya had been living there for so many ages.

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.

Ask Eagerly About the Lord’s Activities

  1. 1

    King Parīkṣit respectfully asked the learned sage to explain the Lord’s activities.

  2. 2

    He wanted to hear how the Supreme Personality of Godhead chastised Kāliya within the unfathomable waters of the Yamunā.

  3. 3

    He also asked how Kāliya had been living there for so many ages.

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:

To restore the purity of the Yamunā’s waters, which had been contaminated by Kāliya’s poison, Lord Kṛṣṇa climbed into a kadamba tree on the riverbank and jumped into the water. Then He began fearlessly playing within the water like a maddened elephant.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. śrī-rājā uvācaKing Parīkṣit said
  2. kathamhow
  3. antaḥ-jalewithin the water
  4. agādheunfathomable
  5. nyagṛhṇātsubdued
  6. bhagavānthe Supreme Personality of Godhead
  7. ahimthe serpent
  8. saḥhe, Kāliya
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 10.16

    In this verse: “king”

  • Jñāna · Spiritual insight

    Inquiry, revelation and discrimination between self and matter. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “inquired”

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 can Parīkṣit’s respectful curiosity guide your own study?

Practice

Write down one question you have about the Lord’s encounter with Kāliya.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayAsk Eagerly About the Lord’s ActivitiesThis 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 10.16.2? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
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