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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 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

10.16.24 10.16.26

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.25

Īśānukathā· The Lord and His devotees

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.16.4inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

तं जिह्वया द्विशिखया परिलेलिहानं

द्वे सृक्‍वणी ह्यतिकरालविषाग्निद‍ृष्टिम् ।

क्रीडन्नमुं परिससार यथा खगेन्द्रो

बभ्राम सोऽप्यवसरं प्रसमीक्षमाण: ॥ २५ ॥

taṁ jihvayā dvi-śikhayā parilelihānaṁ

dve sṛkvaṇī hy ati-karāla-viṣāgni-dṛṣṭim

krīḍann amuṁ parisasāra yathā khagendro

babhrāma so ’py avasaraṁ prasamīkṣamāṇaḥ

Translation

Again and again Kāliya licked his lips with his bifurcated tongues as He stared at Kṛṣṇa with a glance full of terrible, poisonous fire. But Kṛṣṇa playfully circled around him, just as Garuḍa would play with a snake. In response, Kāliya also moved about, looking for an opportunity to bite the Lord.

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.

Kṛṣṇa’s Transcendental Agility Defeats Kāliya

1
Kāliya stared at Kṛṣṇa with a terrible, poisonous glance and repeatedly licked his lips.
2
Kṛṣṇa playfully circled the serpent, just as Garuḍa would play with a snake.
3
The Lord moved so skillfully that Kāliya found no opportunity to bite Him. The serpent was defeated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental agility.

Key points from the purport

Lord Kṛṣṇa moved around the serpent so skillfully that Kāliya could find no opportunity to bite Him.
Thus the snake was defeated by Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s transcendental agility.

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

Chapter 16: Kṛṣṇa Chastises the Serpent Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

Within the water of the lake adjoining the river they saw Lord Kṛṣṇa, the very essence of their lives, enwrapped in the coils of a black snake. The residents thought the three worlds had become empty, and they all prepared to enter the water.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.16