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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 17: The History of Kāliya

10.17.2-3 10.17.5

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam · Text 10.17.4

Ūti· What drives us to act

Who is speaking and story frame

Speaking:Śukadeva Gosvāmīsince 10.17.2-3inside 2 frames: Sūta Gosvāmī → the sages at NaimiṣāraṇyaŚukadeva Gosvāmī → King Parīkṣit

विषवीर्यमदाविष्ट: काद्रवेयस्तु कालिय: ।

कदर्थीकृत्य गरुडं स्वयं तं बुभुजे बलिम् ॥ ४ ॥

viṣa-vīrya-madāviṣṭaḥ

kādraveyas tu kāliyaḥ

kadarthī-kṛtya garuḍaṁ

svayaṁ taṁ bubhuje balim

Translation

Although all the other serpents were dutifully making offerings to Garuḍa, one serpent — the arrogant Kāliya, son of Kadru — would eat all these offerings before Garuḍa could claim them. Thus Kāliya directly defied the carrier of Lord Viṣṇu.

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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.

Understand it

Three study points drawn from the translation and purport.

Arrogance Leads to Defiance

1
The other serpents dutifully made their offerings to Garuḍa.
2
The arrogant Kāliya, son of Kadru, ate those offerings before Garuḍa could claim them.
3
By taking the offerings himself, Kāliya directly defied the carrier of Lord Viṣṇu.

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 17: The History of Kāliya

From the chapter summary, the lines nearest this verse:

When King Parīkṣit inquired about Kāliya’s leaving Ramaṇaka Island, the abode of the serpents, and about why Garuḍa acted inimically toward him, Śrī Śukadeva Gosvāmī replied as follows: All the serpents on the island were afraid of being devoured by Garuḍa. To placate him, every month they would leave various offerings for him at the foot of a banyan tree.

Read the whole chapter summary Back to this verse in chapter 10.17