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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 10.16.28

Who is speaking and story frame

यद् यच्छिरो न नमतेऽङ्ग शतैकशीर्ष्ण-

स्तत्तन् ममर्द खरदण्डधरोऽङ्‍‍‍‍‍घ्रिपातै: ।

क्षीणायुषो भ्रमत उल्बणमास्यतोऽसृङ्

नस्तो वमन् परमकश्मलमाप नाग: ॥ २८ ॥

yad yac chiro na namate ’ṅga śataika-śīrṣṇas

tat tan mamarda khara-daṇḍa-dharo ’ṅghri-pātaiḥ

kṣīṇāyuṣo bhramata ulbaṇam āsyato ’sṛṅ

nasto vaman parama-kaśmalam āpa nāgaḥ

Translation

My dear King, Kāliya had 101 prominent heads, and when one of them would not bow down, Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, who inflicts punishment on cruel wrong-doers, would smash that stubborn head by striking it with His feet. Then, as Kāliya entered his death throes, he began wheeling his heads around and vomiting ghastly blood from his mouths and nostrils. The serpent thus experienced extreme pain and misery.

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.

Stubborn Resistance Meets the Lord’s Chastisement

  1. 1

    Kāliya had 101 prominent heads. Whenever one refused to bow, Kṛṣṇa struck it with His feet.

  2. 2

    Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa is described here as one who punishes cruel wrong-doers.

  3. 3

    As Kāliya’s life ebbed, he wheeled his heads around and vomited blood. His resistance brought him extreme pain and misery.

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:

Vomiting blood from his mouths, Kāliya finally understood that Kṛṣṇa was the primeval personality, Lord Nārāyaṇa, the spiritual master of all moving and nonmoving creatures, and he took shelter of Him. Seeing how very weary Kāliya had become, his wives, the Nāgapatnīs, bowed down at Lord Kṛṣṇa’s lotus feet.
Read the whole chapter summaryBack to this verse in chapter 10.16
2

Word for word

Learn the Sanskrit words of the verse.

  1. yat yatwhichever
  2. śiraḥheads
  3. na namatewould not bow down
  4. aṅgamy dear King Parīkṣit
  5. śata-eka-śīrṣṇaḥof him who had 101 heads
  6. tat tatthose
  7. mamardatrampled down
  8. kharaon those who are evil
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: “death”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.16

    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 does Kāliya’s stubborn refusal to bow invite me to examine in myself?

Practice

Pause today to acknowledge one stubborn attitude, and offer a respectful bow to Kṛṣṇa.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayStubborn Resistance Meets the Lord’s ChastisementThis 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 10.16.28? Get an answer from the verses themselves.