1 · Learn4 of 6 · 5 min

Study a Verse

Read one verse of Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam with its Sanskrit, word meanings, translation and study points.

Or browse by canto and chapter
Canto

Canto 10 · The Summum Bonum · 90 chapters

123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990

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
10.16.2910.16.31

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.16.30

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

तच्चित्रताण्डवविरुग्नफणासहस्रो

रक्तं मुखैरुरु वमन्नृप भग्नगात्र: ।

स्मृत्वा चराचरगुरुं पुरुषं पुराणं

नारायणं तमरणं मनसा जगाम ॥ ३० ॥

tac-citra-tāṇḍava-virugna-phaṇā-sahasro

raktaṁ mukhair uru vaman nṛpa bhagna-gātraḥ

smṛtvā carācara-guruṁ puruṣaṁ purāṇaṁ

nārāyaṇaṁ tam araṇaṁ manasā jagāma

Translation

My dear King Parīkṣit, Lord Kṛṣṇa’s wonderful, powerful dancing trampled and broke all of Kāliya’s one thousand hoods. Then the serpent, profusely vomiting blood from his mouths, finally recognized Śrī Kṛṣṇa to be the eternal Personality of Godhead, the supreme master of all moving and nonmoving beings, Śrī Nārāyaṇa. Thus within his mind Kāliya took shelter of 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.

1

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Remember Devotional Advice and Take Shelter

  1. 1

    Kāliya’s poison was exhausted, and he began vomiting blood. The purport explains that he had been cleansed of the vile contamination in his heart that had appeared as venom.

  2. 2

    Kāliya’s wives were serious devotees who had often urged him to surrender to Kṛṣṇa. In unbearable agony, he finally remembered their advice.

  3. 3

    Recognizing Kṛṣṇa as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Nārāyaṇa, and the master of all beings, Kāliya took shelter of Him within his mind.

Key points from the purport
  • In Chapter Sixteen of Kṛṣṇa, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrīla Prabhupāda points out that whereas previously Kāliya was vomiting poison, now his poison was exhausted and he began to vomit blood.
  • The wives of Kāliya were actually serious devotees of Lord Kṛṣṇa, and according to the ācāryas they had often tried to convince their husband to surrender to Him.
  • But now Kāliya realized that he was fighting an opponent who was thousands of times stronger than Garuḍa and who therefore could be only the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

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:

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. tatof Him
  2. citraamazing
  3. tāṇḍavaby the powerful dancing
  4. virugnabroken
  5. phaṇā-sahasraḥhis one thousand hoods
  6. raktamblood
  7. mukhaiḥfrom his mouths
  8. uruprofusely
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

  • Śaraṇāgati · Wholehearted surrender

    Relinquishing ownership while entrusting oneself to the Lord. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “shelter”, “surrender”

  • Rāja-dharma · Devotional leadership

    Serving and protecting through responsibility. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “king”

  • Śuddhi · Inner transformation

    The reorientation of the heart toward service. · Theme in SB 10.16

    In this verse: “cleansed”, “contamination”

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 advice to take shelter of Kṛṣṇa have I heard but not yet acted upon?

Practice

Spend one quiet minute asking Kṛṣṇa for shelter within your mind.

5

The story around it

The story this chapter belongs to.

Live this todayRemember Devotional Advice and Take ShelterThis 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 10.16.30? Get an answer from the verses themselves.
  1. Learn
  2. Live
  3. Lead
Next in Learn · 5 of 11 · 2 minAsk the BhāgavatamBring your own question. Get an answer drawn only from the Bhāgavatam's translations, with every verse shown.Back · LearnCantos & stories